Hat Kid's Adventures
by Imagigamegirl
Summary: After collecting all her Time Pieces, Hat Kid finally found her home. But that's not the end of her adventures. Join Hat Kid on a series of events that make every day out of the ordinary. Basically a collection of one-shots. Mostly after the Finding Home story. Rated T, just in case. Cover pic done by Inkonic1.
1. Hat Kid's Halloween

Tis the season to be spooky! I figured I start this up to celebrate Halloween. So hope you enjoy x)

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Hat Kid wiped her forehead, carefully finishing her costume using the sewing machine. It was Halloween night and she had to be prepared for what she's up to today.

To her surprise, no one really has celebrated the holiday before! They've heard of it, but since there weren't too many kids around at the time, it'd probably be pointless to celebrate. Now that Hat Kid is in town though, there's a good reason too. Besides, it's more than just getting sweets. It's also about the scares.

So, Mafia Town was going to be open for Trick-or-Treating. Mu seems to doubt the Mafia would even think of giving out candy since "everything belongs to the Mafia," she would state in a mocking tone. But Hat Kid was going to give them the benefit of doubt.

DJ Grooves and the Conductor are having a horror film showing at their studio tonight as well. Now, Hat Kid wasn't all on board with watching a horror movie, but she can't turn down a movie night with snacks.

Finally, Snatcher's preparing more traps to try and scare Hat Kid. He's not open for other visitors, but he seemed eager to try and scare the hat off her. She was up for the challenge though.

Hat Kid offered Mu to join her on her Halloween adventure, but Mu declined. She had plans against the Mafia that involved scare pranks and egg throwing. Hat Kid could only wish her luck that she won't get caught.

"There we go." Hat Kid held up her costume dress. It looked like a witch's dress, only with a small badge/button that looks like Snatcher. The dress was black with a purple sash that has a gold belt buckle in the middle of it. Her purple and white knee-high socks and black shoes would go great with this as well. For her hat, she sewed a new top hat that had black and white stripes with a purple sash and bow instead. She also has a broom from her closet to finish the look.

Excited, Hat Kid went to her room to change. She took a good look at herself in the mirror and smiled brightly. " _This night is gonna be fun_." Grabbing a Time Piece, she headed to the hatch and jumped down to the planet, making her way to Mafia Town.

The sun has already set. Hat Kid was more than ready to get started. She went up to one of the houses with the lights on and knocked, paper bag in hand. A Mafioso opened up and looked down at Hat Kid.

"Trick or treat!"

The Mafioso tilted his head. "Why is little child dressed funny?"

"It's Halloween. You dress up, knock on the doors, and say 'trick or treat.' Then you give me candy." She holds up the bag with a small smile.

"But Mafia doesn't have candy. Only fish." Hat Kid frowned.

"Oh, alright." The Mafioso closed the door and Hat Kid sighed. Well, first house was a bust, but that doesn't mean the others are too, right?

...Nope. They were. When she went from house to house, she was either denied candy or given fish, which she threw away. Who wants dead fish on Halloween night?

Hat Kid sighed and leaned against the wall, looking down at her empty paper bag. So much for her sweets.

But maybe the horror movie filming will be better. Conductor and DJ Grooves may have snacks too! With that though brightening her mood, she held her Time Piece and made her way to Dead Bird Studios.

* * *

"You guys are in costumes too?" Hat Kid's eyes lit up, seeing DJ Grooves in an astronaut suit.

"Well, I am at least, darling. The Conductor said it would be 'childish' to do so."

"You're never too old for dressing up for Halloween."

"True, darling. Now come on. The movie will start soon." Taking Hat Kid's hand, DJ Grooves led her in. They arrived in the theatre where some Express Owls and Moon Penguins were already seated. The Conductor could be spotted on the Control Booth balcony, setting up the projector and film.

Hat Kid waved to him and the Conductor looked down, waving to her with a small smile. DJ Grooves and Hat Kid then sat down together in the middle row of the theatre. The film then began to count down, getting ready to play.

The Conductor quickly joined Hat Kid and Grooves, sitting next to Hat Kid on her left. Hat Kid then leaned over to the Conductor and whispered, "So, what's this movie called?"

"Nightmare on Elm Street."

...Oh dear.

Hat Kid had a hard time watching through this. A never-ending nightmare, being chased by some crazy murderer. Not to mention the blood. So much blood. Hat Kid was actually a little thankful she didn't get any candy...at least yet. She felt sick enough without it.

Her eyes were closed through over half of it. She heard a few screams from the crowd at times and even DJ Grooves looked nervous. Conductor quietly snickered.

"Are ye actually scared, DJ Peck Neck?"

"O-of course not, darling."

Hat Kid was thankful for when it was over. She was shaking like a leaf and seemed a bit jumpy. DJ Grooves and the Conductor looked at each other, noticing this.

"Lassie? Are you okay?"

"It wasn't too scary, was it darling?"

Hat Kid didn't want to seem like a scaredy-cat. She shook her head no and faked a tiny smile, "N-Nah. It wasn't scary at all."

The two bird directors looked at each other a little concerned but decided to take her word for it. Hat Kid said her goodbyes to them and made her way to the last location: Subcon Forest.

* * *

Entering the forest suddenly seemed scarier than usual. Stupid scary movie. That murderer was fake. He won't come after Hat Kid. ...At least as long as she's awake.

Hat Kid shook her head, getting that thought process out of her head. She went up to Snatcher's tree and looked in. No sign of the grumpy guy. She looked down the path to Subcon Village and decided to head there. Maybe he's building traps there.

As she walks through, a couple howls were heard. Hat Kid took a breath, reassuring herself it's probably the wind. She kept her focus straight as she walked down the main path to Subcon Village.

Then she heard a twig snap behind her. She gasped and turned around, broom ready. She was starting to tremble. Hat Kid growled under her breath. " _C'mon, Hattie. Keep it together already. Freddy isn't coming for you._ "

She froze though when she heard singing. It sounded like a haunting lullaby. She then gasped, seeing a shadowy figure behind the trees, staring right at her. She didn't hesitate. She ran like her life depended on it, which it probably does for all she knows.

As she kept running, she spotted the village ahead. A relieved smile seemed to show as she got closer. But then a tarp swept up, encasing her and hanging her from 10 feet off the ground. Much like what happened when she first came to Subcon Forest.

The only difference is as far as Hat Kid knew, she was in serious danger. She rapidly began whacking the tarp with her broom, hoping to tear it open somehow.

But she then froze when she heard large footsteps. She remained still, quietly praying that whatever was possibly chasing her will leave her alone.

Boy was she wrong.

Suddenly, claws scratched a part of the tarp open. Not enough to drop Hat Kid off from it, but enough to have her scream. Another tear, dangerously close to her. Hat Kid's breathing got a bit more rapid as tears showed in her eyes.

One more tear and now she was free-falling. But that did not last. She landed in a large shadow hand, which closed around her, sealing her vision from the outside world. Hat Kid tried hitting the palm of the hand, panicking now.

A dark chuckle was heard as the palm opened up. Hat Kid looked up at the monster that grabbed her and froze.

It was Snatcher. A bit taller and bigger than usual, but still Snatcher. He had a smug grin showing as his yellow eyes looked down at Hat Kid's trembling form.

"Looks like I win, kid." He then laughs, shrinking back down enough so that he was now holding Hat Kid with both his hands underneath her shoulders.

"Oh my god! You should've seen your face! You were so terrified!" He laughed a little more, but then stopped when he heard her sniffle. He looked down at her and realized...she was crying.

Hat Kid was quietly crying, rubbing her eyes. She literally thought she was going to die. Die by some crazy murderer in a never-ending nightmare. A giant one at that. She wanted to be mad at Snatcher...but she couldn't be. She asked for this. She asked to get scared. Now she's just upset with herself for getting scared when it was Snatcher the whole time.

Snatcher looked to the side awkwardly. The kid's crying was really bringing down the mood. He wanted to scare her, yeah...but not...cry.

"Hey, kid. ...It's alright. You're fine, aren't you?" Hat Kid just continued sniffling, trying her best to calm down. But geez, the kid was still shaking like a leaf. Snatcher sighed and held her close, putting one hand underneath her and the other on her back.

Hat Kid buried her face into his chest, sniffling. She clung onto the fluff of his neck, hoping now he won't let go. She felt him flinch. His eye is probably twitching as well. But she didn't care.

Snatcher internally groaned. She was probably going to get snot all over him now. He was tempted to pull her away, but looking down at her trembling form...he couldn't. Not like this. So he sighed and endured it, gently rubbing her back in comfort.

Eventually, she finally calmed down, only slightly sniffling and rubbing her eyes to dry her tears.

"You done now?"

Hat Kid quietly nodded. Snatcher sighed, seemingly with relief, and begins to set her down. But her eyes widened as she grabbed the fluff of his neck once more, shouting, "NO!"

"OW-kid, what the hell?"

"P-please...don't leave me…" Hat Kid didn't want to be alone. Not after all that.

Snatcher sighed and lifted her back to his chest. "...You want to go back to your ship?"

Hat Kid quietly nodded.

"Okay." Snatcher looked up, then flew up to space, holding Hat Kid close. As they headed to the ship, Hat Kid looked down, disappointed with herself about tonight. No candy, a terrifying movie that's probably going to haunt her dreams...if she even sleeps, and a seemingly near-death experience worse than Vanessa's manor after that horror film.

Snatcher entered Hat Kid's ship, opening the hatch and closing it behind him. He then sets her down and says, "Alright kid. Go get in your pajamas or whatever."

Hat Kid shook her head no. Snatcher knew why this time. "I'm not going anywhere. Just go get in something comfortable."

She hesitated, but nodded, taking Snatcher's word for it. She quietly went to her room and began changing into her usual pajamas.

" _Tonight stinks. I was hoping for scares that I would laugh off and sweets. But all I got was terror and no sweets._ "

She sighed, finishing up on changing. She rubbed her eyes and headed back out to the Main Hub. But when she got there, Snatcher was gone. Her eyes widened.

"Snatcher…?" That jerk! He actually left her after saying he won't! Angry tears showed in her eyes as her fist clenched up, but she sighed, releasing the tension on her hand. She looked down and quietly hugged her arms, walking back to her room. She may as well try to sleep and forget about this night. ...Maybe forget about celebrating it next year too.

But she stopped when she heard knocking at her hatch. She turned around right before she entered the hallway to her room. What she saw shocked her.

Snatcher was there and he brought her friends! Cooking Cat, Conductor, DJ Grooves, and Mu. Hat Kid ran to the hatch and opened it, letting everyone in.

"Wh-what are you guys doing here?"

Cookie spoke up first. "Snatcher here told us you were feeling down so we wanted to check on you."

Conductor then stated, "Why didn't ye tell me and Grooves that you can't handle scary movies, lassie? We could've played something else!"

Hat Kid looked down. "I just...wanted us to have a happy Halloween together…"

Snatcher then replied, "Kid, if we're gonna have a _happy_ Halloween, every one of us has to be happy. That especially includes you since you insisted we celebrate the holiday."

Cookie then rubbed Hat Kid's cheek, drying her tears. "And the night isn't over yet. How about I make us some sweet Halloween treats and we can have a Halloween party."

DJ Grooves then spoke up, "That's a wonderful idea, darling! There can be dancing and fun!"

Conductor crossed his arms and said, "Hard pass on that, ye peck neck. But we can watch a movie too. Of yer choosing this time, lass." He looked to Hat Kid with a small smile.

Mu then added, "Yeah, no need to go trick or treating when we can have fun here."

Snatcher smiled a little as he looked down at Hat Kid, "Sounds like a plan, kid?"

Hat Kid looked at all her friends, all willing to make up for tonight's disaster by doing something new and fun. Snatcher especially. She was especially shocked by the fact he called everyone here to help cheer her up.

She smiled warmly as she rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. She could never ask for better friends...or family. "Yeah. That sounds fun."

* * *

Everyone sat together in front of Hat Kid's TV with sugar cookies that were frosted and baked to look like pumpkins. Well, except the Conductor and Snatcher. Snatcher never needed to eat and Conductor didn't really like sweet things. Hat Kid rested between Cooking Cat and Snatcher as the Conductor started preparing the movie Hat Kid picked out: The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Whether it was a Christmas movie or a Halloween movie didn't matter to Hat Kid. She liked to think they were both since they talked about both holidays.

As the movie played, Hat Kid looked at all her friends sitting with her. She smiled warmly as she leaned against Cookie's side, snuggling into her blanket more. Cookie wrapped a paw around her, smiling as well.

" _Best Halloween yet._ "

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Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone! :)


	2. A Mother's Love

Okay, before we get into a possible heated argument in the reviews about what Cooking Cat's gender is, I'll state why I'm sticking with Cookie being female: my Finding Home fic. I basically established Cooking Cat as female in it. Whenever I'm writing fics for this game now, I try to adapt to what I have already written in my first HiT fic. Continuity and such. And to be fair, a large amount of people in the fanbase believed the same thing. xD Apologies if this upsets you, but I'm sticking with it. So, with the elephant in the room addressed, let us get started on this lovely holiday. :)

 **Edit** : Well I just found out in the new DLC that they say Cookie's a girl. I'll still keep the clarification above though, just to be on the safe side. Thanks to ProfessorCatPro for pointing that out. xD Also this takes place after the Arctic Cruise event.

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"Bye-bye, Cookie! Good luck with the Mafia banquet!" Hat Kid waved to Cooking Cat as she headed for the hatch with a spare umbrella from DJ Grooves' Hat Kid merchandise set. This one was orange.

"Goodbye, dearie! Thank you!" She opened up the hatch and hopped down, preparing her umbrella for a safe landing in Mafia Town.

Hat Kid smiled a little and headed back to the kitchen for a quick snack before bed. Cooking Cat came by for the day and made her dumplings for dinner. They were delicious, just like every dish she makes!

Grabbing a chocolate chip cookie from the cookie jar on the countertop, she munched on it and thought, " _Man, if I never came to this planet, I wouldn't have gotten to eaten some amazing foreign food like what they got._ "

Hat Kid likes a few of the dishes that she concocted by herself, especially her watermelon drink, but Cooking Cat never ceased to amaze her with her cooking skills.

As Hat Kid headed to her room while finishing her cookie, she grabbed her pajamas and glanced at her calendar. She had gotten a new one recently since the one she held onto was from last year, which was when the...incident happened.

She shook her head, not wishing to dwell on that today. She's in a better place now anyway. No use in looking back at the past that much.

Once dressed, she took a second glance when she spotted a holiday coming up in two days. Mother's Day.

Hat Kid frowned for a moment. Next to Father's Day, Mother's Day usually didn't matter. If anything, it mainly brought up foul memories. Her mother would treat it like any other day, which involved work.

Hat Kid recalled trying to celebrate it before with her...but it never usually worked out.

" _They're doing this mom-daughter event thing at the park today. Can we go?_ "

" _Heather, quit pestering me, I'm trying to work._ "

 _Hat Kid would frown and quietly nod, crumbling up the flyer for the Mother-Daughter picnic and tossing it in the trash bin. She didn't want to go last year. Guess Hat Kid should've thought better._

Not even gifts would please her. When she once drew this picture of her and her mother on a flower field, her mom actually took it and put it beside her. To Hat Kid, that seemed like progress. That is, until she saw it in the trash the next day.

Hat Kid rubbed her misty eyes, telling herself to stop. As she said, she wasn't going to look back on the past tonight. Besides, there is nothing to really worry about now. She's not with her anymore. She's with her new friends and/or family.

That's when Hat Kid had a thought. If this was her new home and her new friends were basically her family now...who would be the mother? An odd question, but it had an immediate answer: Cooking Cat.

Come to think of it, Cookie did act like a mom. She would make her food, tuck her in bed sometimes, make sure she was cleaned up, and treat her wounds. Hat Kid hasn't had a sort of motherly treatment since Bow's mom. Sometimes whenever she came over for a sleepover, she would care for Hat Kid just as she would care for Bow.

Hat Kid hummed, thinking over this new train of thought. If Mother's Day was coming up, does this planet really celebrate it too? If they did, _how_ do they celebrate it? Everything Hat Kid tried before with her mother would fail to please her. Should she try with Cooking Cat? What if she didn't like the idea of being her mom? Or at least...mother-like.

Well, Hat Kid had an extra day tomorrow to think it over. Maybe she can ask her friends to see what they think. With a firm nod on that plan, she clapped twice, having the lights turn off in her room. She smiled up to the glow-in-the-dark star stickers she recently put in. It was a nice gift from DJ Grooves.

She then climbed into bed, bundling up in her blanket. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day. She had a new mission ahead of her.

Next morning, Hat Kid yawned as she exited her room in her purple pajamas, rubbing her eyes. She then blinked in mild surprise when she spotted Mu asleep on the burger cushion.

Since Mu didn't have a proper place to stay, Hat Kid would offer up her place for the night until they can rebuild her home in Mafia Town or find a better place. Maybe they can build a beach house.

Hat Kid smiled a little and tucked the blanket over Mu's shoulders, resulting in her snuggling into it as she continued resting. She then headed into the kitchen to make butter toast for her and Mu.

As she waited for the toaster to pop and reveal its toasted bread, she hummed in thought. Tomorrow's Mother's Day. What was she really going to do for it? Should she still go with her plan on trying to celebrate it with Cooking Cat? What would she do for her?

The toaster popped and Hat Kid caught the now toasted bread onto two different plates. She then slathered on the butter for each slice and went to the fridge to grab her favorite watermelon drink. Just as she sat down, the door opened, revealing a sleepy Mu. Her hair was messy and her clothes were wrinkled.

"Morning, Mu!"

"Morning, kid." She offered a sleepy smile as she sat down beside Hat Kid, already munching on her toast. It was like morning routine.

"Any news from yesterday?"

"Nah. Just the usual: beaten up a couple Mafioso. Y'know, I was also thinking about the whole home ordeal. I at least want to get my old house fixed. I don't know if I...want to live there again after what happened. But I at least want it repaired."

Hat Kid nodded in understanding. "I was almost thinking we could build you a beach house."

"Not a bad idea, but there isn't much room on the beaches for that. There's only one large part of the beach and that's just crawling with Mafia. The other part is my cave...which is just my hide-out. I don't want that to be my new home spot."

Hat Kid nodded once more. Guess a little more thought will need to be put in. For now though, she did have one major question for Mu. She just quietly hoped she'll take it well.

"...Mother's Day is coming up."

Mu blinked and stopped munching on her toast, looking down. "...Right."

"...I hope it's not mean if I ask...but what did you do for your mom on Mother's Day?"

Mu was silent for two solid minutes and Hat Kid worried she offended or upset her. But Mu took a breath and finally looked up at her, setting down her slice of toast.

"My mum would basically take the time to hang out with me. We would go to the beach to swim, grab lunch, and do a bit of shopping. Then at the end of the day, she would make me hot cocoa and we'd both drink some together, watching a movie."

She had a sad smile as she told Hat Kid this. Meanwhile, Hat Kid looked astonished. Her mom sounds really nice...especially compared to her old one. She can hardly ever recall a night where she ever spent any quality time with her mom.

Mu then looked down once more with a defeated sigh as she finished her toast. "Of course...this year's not gonna be like before."

Hat Kid frowned and hopped down from her chair, going up to Mu and hugging her. "I'm sorry."

Mu blinked. She is going to have to get used to Hat Kid hugging her in comfort. She normally never got one ever since her parents vanished. She figured she had to be the tough one and not show weakness by showing sad emotions. But, Hat Kid was slowly teaching her that it was okay...at least around her.

Mu sighed and hugged back with a tiny smile. "It's fine, kid. It was an honest question. Although, _why_ the question exactly? Curiosity?"

Hat Kid unhugged and glanced down. She felt shy saying her plans to Mu, but she did manage to say, "I want to celebrate Mother's Day with Cookie...if that'll work."

"The cat that cooks for us?" She did act a bit motherly towards the girls every now and then. Mu now can't grab a cookie before dinner whenever she's around. No matter how sneaky, Cookie would always catch her. The thought made her smile a little nostalgically as she looked down.

" _Just like you, mum…_ "

She sighed and looked back up at Hat Kid, who was timidly waiting for Mu's response. She smiled a little and patted her back. "Well, don't let me stop you then. If you wanna celebrate Mother's Day with her, you gotta make it special for her! Make it a day she'll look back on and cherish for the rest of her nine lives!"

A little pressuring, but that's Mu for her. Hat Kid nodded in understanding. Mu then grabbed a cookie from the cookie jar. "Heading back to town. The Mafia isn't gonna beat themselves up. ...Huh, that's actually not a bad idea to try."

She showed a mischievous smile at the thought, then looked to Hat Kid and waved as she exited. Hat Kid waved back, then grabbed her toast to finish it.

"Make the day special...but how am I gonna do that?"

She finished her toast and softly gasped. "Maybe the Conductor and Grooves would know! They gotta have moms too, right?"

Wiping the crumbs from her face, she jumped over the railing and headed to the hatch. She checked to make sure she had a Time Piece on hand then looked to Rumbi. "Watch the ship, Rumbi! I'll be back soon!"

Rumbi beeped and hopped in understanding as Hat Kid jumped down to Dead Bird Studios.

* * *

"Take number 4,065...action!" The Conductor leaned against his winged-hand as he sat in his director's chair, exhausted and frustrated. Why can't his owls do this one pecking scene right?

It was simple: a shot of a bandit owl on a cardboard horse, riding by a cardboard set that looked like his train. He would use his actual train, but it's still being repaired for the time being. Besides, the owls can't even pull it off on a non-moving set.

And to his disappointment, the bandit owl actor made the same mistake as he did the last _thousand_ times: he fell off the horse. It wasn't even rocking that hard!

He let out a groan as he shouted, "CUT! What the _peck_ is wrong with you owls?! All I ask is fer one good take! ONE! And ye can't even ride a cardboard cut-out of a horse properly!"

He felt something tug his conductor coat tail and he immediately looked down while yelling, "WHAT NOW, YE–" But he immediately stopped when he saw who was getting his attention.

Hat Kid was looking up at him a bit nervously as her eyes were wide. "Is uh...is this a bad time…?"

The Conductor calmed himself down, knowing the lass didn't like it when he got...steamed, to say the least. After their dispute, he's been trying to control his temper around her. He didn't want to hurt the lass again.

He spoke in a less angry tone as he cleared his throat and said, "O-oh, no, lassie. Ye just caught me on me break actually. Cod knows I need it now…" He rubbed his head as if he had a headache, then looked to the owls. They were all looking at the Conductor, a little confused.

"Well, what are ye peck necks doing looking at me fer?! Take five then we'll start back up again!" The owls jumped, taking it as a command, and scattered about, heading to their designated break areas.

The Conductor sighed and hopped down from his chair. "Sorry, lassie. Rough recording session today…"

"It's alright." Hat Kid offered a reassuring smile. "If you want, I can star in this one and help."

The Conductor showed an amused smile as he tousled her hair, making her pout, while saying, "If I could, lass, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But the cast is already set and I don't want ye to star as a wee bandit in this movie."

Seems fair. When she starred in their movies, she played an important role in every single one. Being a side character would feel like a demotion.

"So what brings yer here anyway?" Hat Kid readjusted her top hat as she looked up at him.

"I kinda wanted to ask you about tomorrow. But I also wanna ask DJ Grooves...i-if that's alright…" She twiddled her fingers, hoping the Conductor isn't going to squawk. They've had their friendly moments, but they're still rivals.

The Conductor showed a small scowl for a moment, but then sighed. He knew the lass didn't favor DJ Peck Neck more she favored the Conductor or vice versa. Whatever she may have on mind, she may need both views on the issue.

He crossed his arms and sighed. "I suppose I can put up with DJ Peck Neck's company fer a few."

Hat Kid immediately smiled with his response and hugged while saying, "Thanks, Conductor!"

He jolted, a little surprise by the sudden action, but smiled a little and patted her back. " _I swear, this lass is gonna melt me heart one day._ "

Then taking the Conductor by the hand, they headed over to DJ Grooves' side of the studio.

"Darling, what are you doing? Get out of the set, please!" DJ Grooves sighed as he leaned back in his director's chair. How hard is it for his Moon Penguins to get this choreography down?

The Conductor and Hat Kid approached DJ Grooves as Hat Kid whispered, "Sounds like you're not the only one having a bad day."

The Conductor quietly nodded with a smirk. It was oddly comforting to know that even Grooves has his off-days. Well, time to see if by being here, he'll make it worse.

"OI! DJ PECK NECK!" DJ Grooves jolted and physically cringed. Oh how he hated that "nickname." And there's only one that would give him that title.

He turned to the source with a scowl, which soon vanished as he saw Hat Kid waving to him with a bright smile. "Hiya, DJ Grooves!"

His mood immediately brightened seeing his shining star. "Darling! So glad to see you again!" He turned back to the set and said, "Penguins, take five."

He hopped down from his chair and approached the two. "What brings you both on the set?"

"The little lass wanted to talk about something and wanted the two of us together for it." That sounded a bit concerning to DJ Grooves. He looked down at Hat Kid.

"Darling, is there something troubling you?"

"No. Or at least...nothing really bad. Can we talk it over cookies though?" Grooves eventually figured out the kid had a heck of a sweet tooth. Sometimes he'd spoil her with cookies or ice cream whenever she visited the studio.

"Of course, darling! Let's go to the lounge room." The Conductor sighed as Hat Kid skipped beside DJ Grooves, both making their way to DJ Grooves' side of the lounge area.

Within the lounge area, there were tables with stools all around like a cafeteria and tables set up with various treats and drinks. A couple couches were sitting against the walls too. A nice place to relax after a busy movie-making day.

"So, you wanted to know what we did when we celebrated Mother's Day?" Hat Kid nodded at DJ Grooves' question.

"I wanna celebrate with Cooking Cat, but I don't know how to do it. I was hoping you guys could provide some ideas?"

The Conductor sipped on his coffee as he listened to the lass. If he had to be honest, he hardly celebrated the holiday anymore with his parents. He hasn't talked to his mum in a long time. Especially not after getting famous for his movies.

DJ Grooves, unfortunately, had a similar story. One main difference is that he wasn't as successful as the Conductor.

The two looked at each other, then to Hat Kid. DJ Grooves decided to start. "Well, darling...I'll be honest, I...haven't spoken to my mom in a long time. After I left the house to achieve my dream, I've gotten a few comments from her...but nothing more."

The Conductor sighed, setting down his empty cup. "Aye, I guess I can say the same. I may have called her up a few times at the start, but afterwards, I was more focused on me movies."

Hat Kid frowned. Have these two really not taken the time to at least give their moms a phone call? She questioned this outloud and both directors looked to the side, a little shamefully.

DJ could never admit this outloud in front of the Conductor, but he was scared to call his mom. For all he knew, she could just talk down to him, especially after yet another loss. She wasn't always like that; he knew she was just trying to convince him that he can do better. But not even all these past losses are going to stop his dream.

The Conductor also couldn't admit the same thing. Only his reason for being afraid to call his ma was because of how long it has been. Would she even be happy to hear from him after a long time? Especially after knowing what he did to the family train?

Hat Kid sighed and looked up to the two. "You should at least give them a call tomorrow. I'm sure no matter what you did…" She looked to the Conductor. "Or what you're doing…" She then looked at Grooves. "They'll be really happy to hear from you guys."

The Conductor and DJ Grooves looked at each other, then managed to smile. They looked back to Hat Kid with the same smiles.

"You're right, darling!"

"Yeah...thank ye, lassie."

Hat Kid nodded with a warm smile. "Anyway, do you at least remember what you used to do for your mom before you became famous movie directors?"

Both bird directors thought it over for a minute. Then the Conductor went first. "Well, I would help me ma with the chores just to have it be a bit easier fer her. And sometimes, I would use me toy train set to show something nice to her. Like I once made a track that was shaped like a heart. The train could run well on it too." The Conductor smiled at the memory.

"Well, my mother was usually a busy penguin, but she did like the gifts I would make. I think her favorite was this one I did where I charted out some stars and made my own constellation that said a message. Something like 'I love you.' She was so pleased that she framed it and put it on the wall in our house." DJ Grooves smiled nostalgically as he looked down. "Wonder if she still has it hung…"

These were pretty good suggestions. But still not entirely clear on what she can do for Cookie. Maybe she can ask Snatcher. Surely before he died, he had a mom, right?

She finished her cookies and nodded. "That all sounds really sweet. Thank you, guys!" She then hopped down from her chair.

"Yer leaving already, lass?"

"Mhm, gotta make plans. Good luck with the movies, guys!" With a quick wave, she took off, ready to head to Subcon Forest. The two directors watched her go, then looked at each other.

The Conductor cleared his throat. "A-anyways, peck neck, I've got movies to record."

"As do I, darling. Good day." The two turned their backs to each other and shouted to their crew members, demanding for them to get back to work. As they did, however, they thought over their conversation with Hat Kid.

" _...Maybe I_ should _call her tomorrow._ "

* * *

"So let me get this straight, kid. You barged back into my forest just to ask me about Mother's Day?"

Hat Kid shuffled her feet, standing in front of Snatcher. He was sitting in his recliner, reading a book as usual. But now that book was set down as he looked down at the kid with an annoyed expression.

"...Yes?"

Snatcher sighed. "Kid, I'm a soul-stealing ghost. You think there's a Mrs. Snatcher roaming this forest?" He laughed at the very thought.

"Well, no, not like that. But maybe...since you're a ghost, you would've been alive once, right?" Snatcher stopped laughing immediately and looked down at the kid.

"...What would you know about my past?" He suddenly seemed serious. Hat Kid had to watch her wording on this.

"N-nothing, it's just...I assumed that ghosts come from the dead…" Snatcher seemed to relax a little from her explanation. That's right, the kid wouldn't know. How could she know? She doesn't _need_ to know.

He sighed and picked the kid up by the cape. He then set her on his recliner chair's arm and stated, "Look, kiddo. Even if that was true, I wouldn't be able to remember. All I know about myself is that I steal souls and protect my forest from trespassers."

Come to think of it though...why couldn't he remember his mother? For a moment he tried looking back in his memories, just to know for sure. But no...her face...her name...why couldn't he remember?!

"Snatcher…?" He looked tensed up as he was gripping the ends of the recliner's arms, talons showing, and a panicked expression showing. Hat Kid frowned with worry. What if he was recalling his past and reliving what happened to him?

She immediately hugged Snatcher, in hope of stopping that train of thought and/or comforting him. She felt him jolt, but slowly relax as his grip on the recliner's arms was released.

She saw from the corner of her eye one of his hands raised up, talons still showing. She loosened her hug, figuring he was going to pull her away and drop her onto the floor, complaining about hugs.

But to her surprise...his talons retract and he hugged her back. Hat Kid's eyes were wide with shock. Was he...accepting her hug this time? She looked up at Snatcher, still hugging. He did look less panicked as he focused his gaze ahead in thought.

He sighed and looked down at the kid. "Thanks, kid…" Hat Kid smiled brightly and continued hugging. "But know this is the one time I'm okay with this." She giggled and nodded. That doesn't mean she won't stop trying though.

She then had a sad smile showing as she said, "I know it's hard...trying to look back on some bad things in the past. It can...scare you. But I don't want you to be alone on that."

Snatcher blinked in shock. Was she referring to him or…?

He pulled her away a bit to look at the kid, with a concerned expression. "...Kid? What have you gone through?"

She rubbed her misty eyes as she took a breath, looking up at Snatcher. "I'll tell you my story when you tell me yours."

He paused for a moment, then let out a small sigh as he smirked to the kid. "Alright, kiddo." He tousled her hair, making her pout. Why do people like doing that? She's not three! ...Not that she hated it, but it makes her feel like a baby.

Snatcher chuckled a little at her reaction, then stated, "Well, if I had to think about your question from an outsider's perspective, just do something for her that will make her happy. You don't have to do anything spectacular or beyond your skill. Just show your appreciation for her. Even a simple 'Happy Mother's Day' goes a long way."

Hat Kid nodded in understanding. She then hopped down from Snatcher's "lap" and headed out of his tree. "Thanks, BFF!"

He gave a half-hearted wave as he stated, "Yeah yeah, now get the heck out of my forest." He didn't sound as upset or sincere on that statement as he usually did.

Hat Kid giggled and pulled out her Time Piece. She then flew right back up to her ship. As Snatcher felt her presence leave, he leaned back in his recliner with a sigh. " _...Wonder if you would've liked the kid, mom_."

Back on the ship, Hat Kid went to the kitchen to grab some leftover food from the fridge. Chicken and stuffing sounded good right about now. Cooking Cat wasn't here, so she figured her event ran long. Whenever that happened, Cookie would tell her to have whatever's left over in the fridge. She'd then come tomorrow morning to make breakfast and make up for it.

As Hat Kid used her stove to warm up her food, she thought over what to do for tomorrow. She got different opinions from everyone. Make it special for her, help with chores and do nice gifts, or just show appreciation.

Once her food was done warming up, she began eating and continued thinking. Which of those things should she do? What would be best for Cookie? Maybe she should try all of the ideas. But what to start with?

She glanced down at her food and softly gasped. "That's it!" She quickly finished eating and immediately got to work on her plan for tomorrow. After all, Mu did say that there always needs to be a good plan or it'll be a flop.

* * *

Cooking Cat yawned as she entered Hat Kid's ship the next morning. It was a busy day in Mafia Town yesterday. She even had to rest at her old station after all the work she put in through the night.

Soon as she entered though, she sniffed the air. Was someone cooking? It smelled...burnt. That might be a problem. She rushed to the kitchen and gasped at the sight. Hat Kid was at the stove on a step-stool, making bacon and scrambled eggs. Or at least, attempting to. They're looking a little too crispy and there were still a few egg shell bits in the eggs.

Hat Kid glanced back, seeing Cooking Cat. "Cookie! Hey! Uh, I haven't finished yet…but I think it's almost done." Cookie immediately went to her side, turning off the stovetop.

"Uh dear, I think these are cooked enough." She offered a sheepish smile as she set the pan aside. She was just quietly relieved to see Hat Kid with no injuries or anything.

"Oh...well, great! Let me grab some plates then." She hopped down from her step-stool and went to the cupboards. She grabbed two plates and sorted out the extra-crispy and crunchy scrambled eggs and extremely crispy bacon.

"You sure you don't want me to do it, sugarcube?"

"No, I got it! You just go to the table and relax," she replied with a bright smile. Cookie blinked in mild surprise and decided to comply. She sat down as Hat Kid went over to her, setting down her plate. She then set down her own plate and went to the sink.

"You're not going to eat?"

"No, I am. But I wanna help with the dishes this time." She grabbed a sponge and began scrubbing the dirty dishes. The pan was going to be a struggle. There was still a few burnt bits of egg on it as well as grease from the bacon.

Cookie quietly looked down at her plate and decided to try what the kid made. She plucked out a few of the egg shell bits from the scrambled eggs and took a bite. It wasn't bad, but she can taste a bit of a burnt aftertaste from it. Probably needed salt and pepper too.

She then tried the bacon as she asked, "What's the occasion, dear? It's not my birthday." As tried to bite the bacon, it felt like biting a brick. It was too much and was barely biteable.

"Um...well, I wanted to do some nice things for you. That's all." Hat Kid timidly smiled. She can't know the surprise she had for her yet. She finished the dishes and dashed to the table, immediately eating. Though she didn't get far. She ate a bit of the scrambled eggs but didn't get to eat the bacon.

Hat Kid frowned. "Aww, I messed it up…"

Cookie waved her paws to her, not wishing for her to be upset. "No no, dear! You did really well for a first timer. Normally people who cook for the first time burn their food to black or start a fire." Hat Kid honestly did do well for the first time cooking. She felt a little proud she at least tried.

That seemed to cheer Hat Kid up a little. Cookie then suggested, "But some tips for the future: you could add a bit of salt and pepper to the eggs to give it more flavor, keep out the egg shells, and constantly mix them along the buttered pan so they can all cook evenly. As for the bacon, just don't leave it cooking for too long."

"Wasn't my fault the egg shells ended up in the eggs." Hat Kid crossed her arms with a small pout.

Cookie chuckled a little and patted her back. "It's alright. Like I said, you did a great job for your first time."

Hat Kid managed a small smile. "Oh! I got something else for you too! Wait here." She then hopped down from her chair and dashed to her room. Cookie smiled a little and waited. My, this child sure is active today.

Moments later, Hat Kid ran back into the kitchen, holding a sheet of paper. As she approached Cookie with it, she seemed...hesitant. Was this really a good gift idea?

"Whatcha got there, dear?" Hat Kid took a deep breath. No turning back now. She held it out to Cookie.

"H-here. I made this...f-for you." Cookie took the sheet of paper and softly gasped. It was a drawing of her and Hat Kid cooking together. For a child's drawing, it turned out pretty good.

"Oh my stars. This is lovely!" Hat Kid looked up at Cookie, mildly surprised.

"It is?"

"Indeed! And I know exactly where to put it." Cookie went over to one of the kitchen drawers, pulling out an office pin. She then went over to one of the kitchen walls and stuck the drawing right beside a portrait of Hat Kid's old planet.

"Now when I come in to cook, it'll be the first thing I see." Cookie seemed really proud. She actually liked Hat Kid's drawing?

Hat Kid rubbed her eyes, trying not to cry. She still had one more surprise for her. "I got one more thing to show. Come with me."

She took Cookie's paw and lead her out of the kitchen. They then took the elevator up to the attic and Cookie blinked in surprise at what she saw. Off to the side, there was a twin-sized bed with a light blue quilt and two pillows. It looked new and handmade.

"I had to find some blueprints to make the bed frame, but I made the quilt. I'm usually pretty good at stitching stuff together. My hats were a good practice."

"This...is for me?" Hat Kid nodded.

"That way now you can sleep in a real bed instead of just a pile of pillows in a random ship! So...do you like it?"

Cookie immediately hugged Hat Kid, purring and nuzzling her cheek against hers. "I _love_ it, my dear! This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

Hat Kid smiled brightly and hugged back. Cookie then spoke up, releasing her from the hug, "I will ask again though...why do all this?"

Hat Kid shuffled her feet, twiddling her fingers. She seemed really nervous. "Uh...um...well it's...Mother's Day today and…"

Cookie looked surprised. Was she saying what she thought she was saying?

"And you...have taken really good care of me...m-more than my old mom did and...I-I was hoping…"

Cookie held her hands to have her stop twiddling them. She then warmly smiled to Hat Kid and said, "If you wanna call me Ma, Mom, or whatever you prefer, I'd be more than happy to be your mother."

Hat Kid looked up at her, surprised. Cookie continued, "I admit, I was growing to see you as one of my own as well. How you needed to be cared for and everything. And I enjoyed cooking for you and making sure you were happy. I think I kind of became a mama cat before you started considering it."

Hat Kid could hardly believe it. She figured she would accept it, but it still surprised her. She had a mom. She had a _real_ mom.

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she was on the verge of crying. But at the same time, she had a shaky smile showing. All the stress and joy was ready to burst. Cookie cooed and hugged her once more, purring to comfort her. Hat Kid hugged back, sniffling and calming herself down, showing a bright warm smile.

"H-Happy Mother's Day, Mama Cookie."

Cookie smiled warmly at the title. Mama Cookie. ...She liked the sound of that.

 **Bonus:**

Mu finished making her cup of hot cocoa and sat down on wooden plank patio outside her ruined home. She looked out at the ocean view with a small nostalgic smile. With a sigh, she said, "Mum...I hope wherever you and dad are, you're happy. It's...certainly better than being in this broken town. ...I miss you guys. Happy Mother's Day." Tipping her mug to the view, she began sipping her drink.

Meanwhile, off in a desert region, a knock was heard at the door of a small wooden house. The Conductor took a deep breath, taking off his hat. He took a break from shooting for a little while just to visit his mum. He jolted a little when the door opened. He was greeted by another bird-like creature that looked similar to the Conductor. She wore a pink flower dress with a white apron.

"Son?" He took a deep breath, wringing his hat in his hands nervously.

"H-hello, mum. I wanted to uh...stop by and say Happy Mother's Day and uh...give you something." He then knelt down and picked up his gift from behind him.

"Yer first place Annual Bird Movie Awards trophy?" The Conductor had plenty, but he shook his head a little. This trophy was a little different. It just had stars for the design instead of a movie camera with it. He then pointed at the plaque. It had "Best Movie Mum" engraved on it.

"This is _yer_ trophy." The Conductor's mother looked on the verge of joyful tears as she set down the trophy and hugged her son.

"Och, dear. This is the sweetest thing yer ever done. Thank ye." The Conductor smiled a little sheepishly as he hugged back.

"Come inside. I'll make ye some tea. Ye can also help put up this trophy in a good place." She headed inside, carrying the trophy inside. The Conductor glanced back to where the studio was and shrugged. He can spare an hour with his mum. He headed inside, shutting the door behind him.

In another part of the region, DJ Grooves was doing the same thing as the Conductor did: visiting his mother. He quietly hoped she would at least answer the door.

The door opened, revealing a shorter penguin with curly black hair. She wore a low-shoulder long sleeve red top with gold sparkles along it. "Daniel?"

Right, she doesn't call him by the club name he went by ages ago. "Hello, mother dearest. I uh...thought I'd stop by to see you...for Mother's Day. If...that's alright with you, darling."

She looked at him straight into his small eyes through his star shades...then smiled. "Well, about time you came to visit. Come on inside. You want to help me on making some chocolate chunk cookies?"

DJ Grooves smiled brightly and nodded, heading in. "Oh and for cod's sake, take off those high-heeled shoes. You're gonna trip on the carpet."

"Yes, mother." As he took off his shoes, he looked up and showed a small warm smile. She really did keep the constellation message gift.

Finally, Snatcher sat atop his tree, looking at his forest around him. He thought over what the kid was talking about yesterday. The more he thought about it, the more bits and pieces of memory began to show.

He still couldn't remember her name or face...but he remembered that she was a sweet woman. Made bacon for breakfast every morning and encouraged him whenever he was striving for something. When he wanted to fly a kite, she gave him tips and watched him do it. When he wanted to be a lawyer, she recommended good schools for him to choose and helped him when he was struggling.

He sighed, looking up at the stars. "Wonder what she would think of me now…" One way or another, he was quietly wishing the best for her, wherever she was. He flew back down into his tree and grabbed his mailman hat. May as well surprise the minions with stolen packages. There's got to be a lot of them involving the holiday. With a small mischievous smile, he got to work.

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Wow, this chapter is long. But I did have to cover a lot of ground. Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful mothers out there! :)


	3. An Old Friend

Just to let one know, this takes place after the Arctic Cruise event. Time to see who the mysterious person on the iceberg is.

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Hat Kid sighed, laying back on the burger cushion. Why must all her friends and/or family be busy all the time? She didn't even get to talk to Mu for long since she had some big thing planned against the Mafia. All Hat Kid got out of Mu's rambling for her plan is something involving a bat and the ocean. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the full detail. Especially if it's anything similar to the grim idea of turning them into mush and stuffing them in jars like she did for the Mafia Boss.

Speaking of said angry jar, he was down at the shutdown Mafia Headquarters, probably planning to fix it back up and reopen it. So, not even he is around to complain to Hat Kid.

Cooking Cat is busy with DJ Grooves, who is helping her with her own show in cooking. After Hat Kid told him one day about her food before the cruise, he was more than happy to give her the spotlight she deserved. Of course, she had to decline on the change in wardrobe he had in mind. Sequins are not proper cooking attire, according to her.

So with DJ Grooves busy helping Cookie, the Conductor would, of course, be busy with his movies. Competition and all that jazz.

She hasn't checked with Snatcher though. Maybe he won't mind if she dropped in again to say hello. Maybe encourage a bit of banter between each other. It was fun to annoy him sometimes and show that he can't do anything against her as long as she had that BFF contract on hand.

With that idea in mind, she hopped off the earthling sitting device and dashed into her room to grab her umbrella. Soon as she did, she heard the Intruder Alert go off. Her eyes widen. Someone came to visit?

Perhaps her plans with Snatcher will wait depending on who showed up. She dashed out to the Main Hub and gasped at who she saw.

A young girl, about two years younger than Hat Kid was, with brown curly hair and a blue bow. She had darker skin and purple eyes. She wore a green jacket with pockets shaped like kittens and a bow tied at the back, a white shirt, and a blue skirt. To finish off the look, she had little black boots with a blue sash at the top.

Hat Kid dropped her umbrella as her eyes began to look misty. The girl looked to Hat Kid and her eyes widened as well. For a moment, the two didn't say a word. Until Hat Kid found her voice.

"Bow…?"

Bow had a bright smile grow as she shouted, "Hattie!" She then rushed right up to her and hugged her tight with an excited laugh. Soon as she locked an embrace with Hat Kid, Hat Kid began to smile and laugh as the two spun around, hugging each other close.

"I can hardly believe it! You're alive! No, of course I can believe it! I knew you were okay," Bow stated with an excited tone.

"Bow, you have _no_ idea how happy I am to see you! I thought you were gone. I thought everyone was gone." The two finally released their hugs and looked at each other, wiping their own tears away.

"No, everyone's okay! We all managed to escape before the planet exploded! Now I know for sure since you and Tim are alright now!"

Hattie's smile dropped the moment Tim's name was mentioned. Bow noticed this change in expression and asked, "Wait...didn't Tim...escape with you?"

Hattie looked down, her eyes getting misty once more. But this time, it was out of quiet sorrow. "N-no...Tim put me on the ship and...stayed behind."

Bow frowned, sad for Tim but also worried for Hattie. "Hattie I...I'm sorry. I didn't know...I-I know he meant a lot to you…"

Hat Kid rubbed her eyes, trying to stay strong for her. "I-it's okay...b-but forget that. If you and the others made it off the planet okay, then where did you all go?"

"Oh! We found this new planet to settle down on! After our old one was destroyed, we tried to find a new one for months. Some of the planets we tried were inhabited and/or too dangerous for us to stay on. But just a few months ago, we just found this one that's super pretty and a bit bigger than our old one!"

Hattie smiled, glad to know that the disaster that happened wasn't a loss for everyone she knew. Bow continued, eager to tell her more, "It's got a _really_ big beach, pretty green fields, blue skies, colorful lovely scented flowers, and nice temperatures. We're already–WAIT!"

Hattie jolted at her sudden outburst and blinked in surprise as Bow grabbed her shoulders, "What am I doing telling you this?! We gotta go home! Everyone will be thrilled to know you're okay! Or at least me and mom will be."

Go...home?

Hattie stood there quietly as Bow went to the control panel, looking the controls over. "Hattie, c'mon! Tell me how to put in the coordinates. It shouldn't be too far away if we hit hyperspeed!"

"Bow…I don't…"

Bow now looked back to her, confused. "What?"

Hattie wanted to tell her what happened lately. Her accident on this planet. How she made friends...no, family. How she saw this planet as her new home. She honestly didn't expect this to happen. At least not until she was older or something. On top of that...would the people from her old planet really be happy to see her?

"Hattie...don't you wanna come home?"

Hattie took a breath. "Bow, I...I don't know if I should."

"Why shouldn't you? You got the ship, I got the coordinates. We can go home and mom can take care of you. We can be the sisters we wanted to be!" She smiled innocently.

Hattie's hands began to tremble. She felt a lump form in her throat. She had to say it.

"But...I'm not...I'm…"

Bow now appeared concerned as she walked up to Hattie. She then stopped in surprise when Hattie suddenly blurted out, "I'm the reason the planet blew up!"

Silence filled the room, aside Rumba's quiet cleaning motors humming. Bow didn't understand. She stated this outloud and Hattie had tears going down her cheeks.

"B-Bow...did Tim ever tell you about...the Time Pieces?"

"The hourglasses that are dangerous but have the power to go back in time? Yeah…" Where was she going with this?

"...I took one...a-and I tried to fix things for myself. B-But a hatless man stole it f-from me and…"

Ohh, now Bow understood. But wait, Hattie wasn't at fault for that. She didn't blow up the world; the hatless man did. If anything, he is to blame.

"Hattie, no. You didn't blow the planet up. That was that meanie's fault. I know you wouldn't have done that." Not on purpose at least.

Hattie was now rubbing her eyes as tears went rolling down her cheeks. Her voice was breaking a little as she continued, "B-but if I-I...if I ne-ever took…"

Bow walked back up to her and held her non-relative sister's hands. "You couldn't have known. You didn't know a meanie was gonna take it, were you?"

Hattie manage to shake her head no, sniffling. Bow then hugged her with a warm smile. "Then it's okay. It's not your fault. Besides, we may have lost our old home and...Tim…" She quickly shook away the mild sorrow. No, she needed to cheer Hattie up. "But things got better for us! We found a better home that we're rebuilding, practically everyone is okay, and now I found you!"

Hattie almost didn't want to accept it...but she was right. It could've been worse. Everyone could've been homeless. ...Or worse. She looked down at Bow, knowing that it was possible that she could've died along with that planet. With a shaky breath, she hugged her tightly, quietly thanking the stars that that possibility didn't happen. Bow was here. Alive. Safe.

Bow then unhugged and wiped away Hattie's tears. "Now no more crying. We got a home to get to."

Hattie managed a tiny smile, but then shook her head. "I do appreciate it, Bow...but I already got my home." She then looked to Earth, hovering right outside the window. Bow followed her gaze, then looked back up to Hattie.

"You found a planet all by yourself? Aren't you lonely though?" Hattie shook her head once more, her smile growing a little.

"I made new friends there. They're kinda crazy but they're pretty nice. And I really like the places here. There's a movie studio, an island, a spooky forest, and some ancient hidden mountains."

Bow's eyes sparkled. That sounded _so_ cool! Oh, how she wanted to go down and explore. But her mom was waiting for her, probably getting worried.

"That sounds so cool! But...I gotta get to my own home though."

"How did you get here anyway?"

"Oh! Mom gave me a small ship. Like a pilot-in-training ship, allowing me to explore the space around our planet. But uh...I wanted to find you too. So I went into hyperdrive and tried looking. Who knew the planet I crashed on was the one you were on, huh?" She smiled brightly. A coincidence indeed.

"I lost the Time Pieces that fueled the ship and it's...kinda broken now. But then I found the Time Pieces again at least! Crazy thing is when I grabbed one of them, it shot me up here." She went over to the familiar suitcase propped against the wall near the hatch she came in with.

"Wait...that's my suitcase!" Hattie ran to her side as Bow opened it up. The suitcase had a bit of water in it and Hattie's extra clothes were soaked, but three Time Pieces were inside, accounted for. Bow held up the fourth from her pocket.

"Yeah, it floated right out to the iceberg I crashed down on. When I saw the clothes inside, I could hardly believe that they were yours. But now I sure do believe it!" Hattie smiled warmly. This was fantastic!

"With these, we'll have more than enough fuel to get to the planet we need to get to. I think it's about 2 hours away from here by hyperspeed." Hattie still wasn't sure about leaving though. After all she went through on Earth and how everyone went to her, asking her to stay, she never thought of leaving. Not anytime soon at least.

Bow noticed her hesitation and said, "You don't gotta stay at our new planet...if you don't want to. You can at least visit or drop me off." Hattie looked to Bow, who was showing a sad smile.

"Bow, I...I don't want you to be sad though."

"I won't be! A little bummed out we can't live together like we kinda wanted, but I'll be happy knowing you're happy. If anything…" She looked back up through the window to Earth.

"I think you're happier here than you were back at our old planet, right?"

Hattie didn't need to think long to answer her. Yes, she was happier here on Earth. Sure everyone was a jerk to her at the start, but now they're nicer. Back at her own planet, Bow, Bow's mom and Tim were the only people that seemed to really care about her. Everyone else either paid no mind to her or bullied her. Mainly the kids at school.

"At least help me get home and come see the new planet. I'm sure mom will be really happy to see you too!"

Hattie focused her gaze on Earth for a solid silent minute. If the planet's not that far away, surely no one will mind if she left for a short bit. Just a quick stop to the new planet and back here before bedtime.

"...It...wouldn't hurt to visit."

Bow smiled brightly and hopped over to the control panel. "Then let's get going!" Hattie smiled a little and hopped into her captain's chair. Pressing a few buttons, she sent the new four Time Pieces into the vault.

"What about your ship, Bow?"

"Oh...right. Mom would probably kill me if I leave it behind, broken." Bow rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

Hattie pushed another button and a sort of strong rope with a hook attached to the end of it came out on the outside of the ship. "You can hop down to where it is and hook it up. We'll tow it to the planet."

Bow nodded with a bright smile and hopped to the hatch. "Oh, wait!" Hattie ran to the storage closet and pulled out a pink umbrella with crescents for the pattern design. DJ Grooves left it here for Hattie in case she lost her blue one. He said it probably wouldn't sell for her merchandise anyway since it didn't have the same star design her umbrella had.

After also grabbing a Time Piece out of the safe, Hattie handed Bow the umbrella and Time Piece. "You're gonna need the umbrella for a safe landing and the Time Piece to get back up." Bow nodded with a bright smile in a way of saying thanks. She grabbed the rope and jumped down, rope extending as she fell.

Hattie watched her go and went back into thought. Surely they won't mind if she left, even if it ends up being for a short while. Everyone's always busy with something and...she'd probably...be in the way. Like she was for her parents.

...She wondered if they even missed her. Or noticed if she was gone. ...Or _cared_.

She frowned, but shook it away when she saw Bow coming back up with the ship in tow. It was in pretty rough shape. No way she could fly back with the damage it had. Cracked windshield, broken control panel, and one of the engine rockets is missing.

Bow climbed in through the hatch and handed Hattie the Time Piece she loaned her. "Ship is secured and ready, captain!" She then did a playful salute. Hattie chuckled and saluted back.

"Well then Lieutenant Bow, let us set sail for the stars and the new world!" Tossing the Time Piece into the vault and sealing it, she jumped down to her captain's chair once more. Bow hopped over beside her with a bright smile.

Bow stated the coordinates for the new planet and Hattie inputted them in. She set the ship to autopilot as the engines began to warm up. All they needed to do now was blast off.

"Hang on to your motors, Rumbi! We're going on a trip!" Rumbi jumped up, excited.

Hattie took one last look at Earth and showed a small nostalgic smile. With a firm nod, she gripped the lever on her right and slammed it forward. The engines hummed and the whole ship blasted off, going at hyperspeed.

" _Don't forget me, guys. ...I'll be back._ "


	4. Two Worlds

I apologize in advanced if this chapter was a bit choppy. x/ Continuation of the last chapter: An Old Friend

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"Oh my stars…" Hattie's eyes widened when she spotted the new planet. Bow wasn't kidding; it looked beautiful!

It wasn't as big as Earth, but it had a lot of green patches of land and beautiful clear blue oceans. She could faintly spot a beach just a bit south of one of the biggest patches of land and some hat-shaped ships and buildings around the area.

Hattie had to be careful on this part: landing the ship on the planet. She hasn't done this for months, especially after arriving to Earth. Her parking skills were rusty, of course. It was a rocky way down, but she managed to land it in an open clearing just outside of the town.

The town looked almost as cozy as it did in her old home. Lovely houses, white picket fences, flowers in bloom, a cul-de-sac or two, and spaceships just sitting behind a few houses. A couple were even hat-shaped.

Once they've landed, Bow opened the hatch and hopped out. Hattie followed behind, taking in the fresh air. She also turned back to lock the ship. Can't risk anyone getting in and grabbing a Time Piece.

"Our new house should be just down the street at the end of the cul-de-sac. C'mon!" Bow eagerly grabbed Hattie by her hand and pulled her along. Hattie chuckled and followed behind, holding onto her top hat.

* * *

Cooking Cat exited Dead Bird Studios while waving, looking back inside. "Thank you, Mr. Grooves! I have to take care of a couple things, but I can be back on set tomorrow morning."

Once out in the parking lot, Cookie dug through her satchel and pulled out a Time Piece. Seems Hattie left that one behind, forgetting that Cookie always had one on hand whenever she went out.

"I'd better check on the little one. I didn't even had the time to make her breakfast. Poor dearie might be hungry." Or worse, she got into the cookie jar and had cookies for breakfast. If that was the case, Mu was becoming a bad influence for Hattie.

"Perhaps I can make her one of her favorite meals to make up for it. But I wonder if I should go for the grilled cheese sandwich or…" But before she could finish her train of thought, she realized something. She was still standing in the parking lot.

She was holding up the Time Piece to signal it to fly her up to Hattie's ship...but it wasn't taking her anywhere. She carefully shook it, pondering why it wasn't working. Did it run out of juice? No, it was still glowing with its white sand.

This might be a problem...perhaps she should wait inside the studio until the little hat-wearing child comes down. Surely she'll visit the studio at some point today, right?

* * *

"Here we are!" The two young girls arrived in front of a cozy 2-floor house. It was fairly small, but then again, it was only Bow and her mom. She never told either of them what happened to Bow's father...but Hattie didn't want to ask or bring it up.

The house had a nicely cut front yard, a red tile roof, tan drywall, at least 4 windows, and a stone walkway. Bow skipped right up to the door and knocked. Hattie quietly joined her side.

"How long were you away from home anyhow?"

"Uh...about a couple days…?" Bow smiled a bit nervously, shrugging. The door then opened, making both girls jolt.

A taller woman, similar looking to Bow, stood at the door with wide violet eyes. She was wearing a red short-sleeve shirt, jeans, and an apron that had a cute cat for the design.

"Hey mom…I-I'm sorry I took off like I did, but–" She then squeaked as her mother hugged her tightly.

"Don't you ever scare me like that! When I tried sending a message to your ship and got nothing but static…" Bow had a couple tears show as she hugged her back. Bow's mother then looked up to Hattie with wide eyes and immediately pulled her into a tight hug, having Hattie's top hat fall right off her head.

"Hattie...we thought you were lost in space or…" Hattie sniffled, hugging back. She didn't realize how much she missed this. How much she missed Bow and her mom.

"I told you she was okay, mom! Hattie's really tough and brave."

Her mother let out a small broken chuckle as she looked over the two girls. "Right. How about you two come inside? I'm making cat-shaped cookies."

Bow cheered and rushed right in. Hattie wiped her tears away and picked up her top hat. Cookies sound really nice now. "Thank you, miss Carol."

She nodded. "Now you've got some explaining to do about what happened to you this past year." Hattie sighed. This was probably going to take a while.

* * *

"What do yer mean ye can't get back to the ship?"

In the lounge room of Dead Bird Studios, the Conductor, DJ Grooves, and Cooking Cat all sat together. Both bird directors were going to take a quick five minute break after hours of shooting until they found Cookie sitting alone in the lounge room.

"I don't understand why, but the Time Piece won't bring me back to the ship."

"Maybe you just gotta tap it or something, darling." DJ Grooves picked up the Time Piece and looked like he was about to hit it on the palm of his flipper. The Conductor yelped and snatched it out of his hand.

"DON'T SMASH IT! Don't ye remember the last time that happened?" The Conductor carefully set it down on the table. Whether possibly damaging it would take them back a few seconds or further, it didn't matter to the Conductor. One more rewind could result in another Award Ceremony fiasco or what the mustached lass did. There was just something about these hourglasses that gave off a sort of possessive aura.

"Smash it? I was going to tap it, darling. Honestly you think I'd go so far as to relive your mistakes?"

The Conductor was about to retaliate, but Cookie knew it was going to end in a long argument. She quickly interjected, stating, "Well, while we shouldn't risk damaging the Time Piece, it still doesn't explain why it won't work as it should. I'm sure I didn't jostle it and I've been using it like I normally do."

DJ Grooves cleared his throat and added, "Well, perhaps the little darling will come here and can sort this problem out. She knows about these things the best, after all."

The Conductor quietly nodded. "Right. The lass will know. Yer just gonna need ta wait…"

Cookie sighed with a small nod. She knew she had to wait, but she couldn't help but feel worried for her little girl.

* * *

"So you've been traveling through space to find us? All on your own?" Carol was sitting with Bow and Hattie as the two munched on the cute cat-shaped cookies.

"Well...at first. But then I found this really cool planet and I've been staying there. I...didn't think I'd ever find you guys after so long, so…"

"What is this planet like?"

"I got to see a little bit of it, mom!" Bow interjected, setting down her cookie and throwing her hands up for enthusiasm. "It's really big and has a lot of cool places! I was only able to see the north part. The oceans are really cold. But Hattie says they got an island, a movie studio, a scary forest, and some old mountains!" Well, Bow was close on how Hattie exactly described it all.

"That so?" Carol showed a small intrigued smile as she then looked back to Hattie. "I imagine with all those regions, there are residents?"

"Oh yeah! There's Mama Cookie, the Conductor, DJ Grooves, the Lazy Paw Gang, Snatcher, the Express Owls, the goats, the nomads…" Hattie continued listing off who was on Earth.

As Carol listened, she was quietly surprised Hattie was calling this "Cookie" person a mama. No, maybe that's just a nickname. Then again...after learning the truth about Hattie's parents, that might be for the best.

Once Hattie was done listing them off, Carol then asked, "And they're treating you well?"

Hattie patted the table, setting down her half-eaten cookie. "Wellll...I admit, they were kind of jerks at first. But nowadays they're nice."

Bow then added, "To be fair, usually others don't like us invading their planets. Sometimes we scare them."

Carol couldn't argue with that, but she seemed concerned for Hattie. "And do they know about the Time Pieces?"

Hattie blinked, then frowned with worry. "...Uh...some do. Some of them might've...sort of...tried to keep them for themselves…"

Bow now looked worried. If they were being jerks at the start, was it because of the Time Pieces? Carol was now giving Hattie a sort of parental look. It wasn't necessarily towards her, but it still appeared intimidating. "What exactly did they do to you?"

"Nothing! At least...nothing that got me really hurt. I'm really tough, Miss Carol. I could even get my soul taken and still keep going!"

"Wait, did you actually get your soul taken?!"

Oh boy...Hattie had more explaining to do.

* * *

Snatcher was frowning as he was re-reading his book. He's been looking over the same paragraph again and again. He just couldn't concentrate today.

Shouldn't the kid have shown up by now? He hasn't heard that she had other plans. And she usually visits every day or two. But lately, he hasn't heard any activity from her. He hasn't even sensed her soul entering his forest once today or yesterday.

He growled as he slammed his book shut and set it down on the end table. "That's it!"

Stupid hat brat. Making him worry like this. He _shouldn't_ be worried! No, better. She's gonna be the one that's worried when he arrives in her ship. A dark grin showed as he thought of scaring the soul out of her. Not literally, as appealing as that sounds. He knew the kid could get it back.

He began flying up to where the brat's ship normally is. The kiddo had better be ready. The Snatcher's coming for a surprise visit. Now it's his turn to annoy.

But his grin faded when he realized something. Usually when he got close to passing the atmosphere, he could spot the kid's ship. But...where was it? Maybe due to the planet's orbit, he flew up on the other side of the planet.

He circled his way across and looked around. ...But no spaceship. It's a fairly big spaceship. Surely he wouldn't miss it!

Snatcher continued looking, but there was nothing. No spaceship. No Hat Kid.

"...Kid?"

* * *

"Then, after they all came to me, I decided to stay. Besides, now I know the planet I was going for next wasn't the one you guys were at."

Carol hummed, thinking. "Tim has told me about something like this before...Time Piece corruption."

Hattie tilted her head. "Time Piece corruption? That's actually a thing?"

Carol nodded, grabbing the girls' plates and heading to the sink to clean them. "Back on our old planet, Tim told me about the Time Pieces. We were good colleagues back in the day, along with Thor. After Tim discovered the Time Pieces, he warned me of their power."

She continued as she turned back to the girls, finishing the dishes and drying her hands with a hand towel, "As you two know, they're a powerful source of energy, which is what makes them good fuel for our ships. I'm sure you both know they can rewind time as well."

The two girls nodded. "Well, due to their great power, they give off a sort of corrupting power that can make one with little self control over their desires act more violently. They would then result to doing anything to get what they wish. This mainly includes violent actions and acting out without reason."

After hearing all this, Hattie's eyes widen with understanding. That explains why the Conductor acted so violently after the Annual Bird Movie Awards. And this especially applies to Mu. She only just wanted to get rid of the Mafia, but then she tried to get rid of almost everyone, ruining the planet in the process.

"Well...that makes sense after all that happened. But they really are nice to me now! Mama Cookie makes me really good food, the Conductor and Grooves sometimes let me help in their movies, Mu and I do all sorts of cool things in Mafia Town, the nomads and goats are really nice and their home is beautiful, and Snatcher can be annoyed by me, but he doesn't want to really hurt me anymore."

Carol frowned, still concerned for Hattie. The child has been through so much lately. Are these Earthlings really good caretakers for her?

Hattie fidgeted with the zipper on her outfit. "I just kinda want to be home with them. ...U-unless mom and dad want me back home." She wasn't going to lie to herself though. She almost didn't want to be back with them. They hardly ever acknowledged her, after all.

Carol bit her bottom lip and looked to Bow, who was now looking up at her, worried. "Bonnie, could you give me and Hattie a few minutes on our own? Why don't you actually get your room set up for Hattie so she can sleep over?"

Bow nodded with a tiny smile and climbed out of her chair, heading upstairs. Carol then knelt down in front of Hattie as she blinked up to her in surprise.

"But, I was just going to visit then head back. Earth isn't that far. It's about 2 hours away in hyperspeed."

"I know, but...there's something you should know about your mother and father...and I fear you wouldn't be set for your trip back to your new home when I do tell."

Now it was Hattie's turn to frown with concern. Did they not make it when they left the planet?

Carol took a breath and bit her bottom lip once more. How was she going to explain this to the little nine year old? After a moment in thought, she finally spoke.

"Your mother and father...did not care for you as they should have."

* * *

Cookie was pacing now. It's almost dinner and no one's heard anything about Hattie. She hasn't visited the studio even once. Not knowing where she is or what she was doing was worrying the poor cat. She was practically responsible for the child now. What if something terrible happened to her?

"HEY!" Cookie let out a small screech as her fur stood on end. Turning around, she saw the shadow ghost that Hattie refers to him as her BFF. His name was Snatcher, right?

A few Express Owls and Moon Penguins spotted the ghost and fled the lounge room. They've heard tales about him. The soul stealing king of Subcon Forest.

But for once, Snatcher wasn't here to terrorize some poor schmucks. His attention was focused on finding the kid. And if anyone knew how to get to the kid best, it was the cat chef.

"Land sakes, Snatcher! Is a proper hello too much to ask?"

"Not important. Where's the kid?" Wait, he was asking her about Hat Kid? She always thought he didn't care about her wellbeing or her in general. At least, that's how he appeared.

"I don't know. I can't even use the Time Piece she loaned me to get to her ship." Snatcher's eyes widened a bit. Oh, the fear was coming true. If not even a Time Piece was doing it, then could the kid have left?

"Her ship's not there."

"What?!" Now it was Cookie's turn to be extremely worried. Her ship was gone? Surely she wouldn't have left without telling them all! Not after she decided to stay.

She voiced these thoughts to Snatcher, then realized something. "What if something happened to her ship and she crashed somewhere here?"

The kid could be hurt. Under some debris. Unconscious. ...Underwater. So many dark possibilities ran through Snatcher's mind. He then recalled how the kid looked in his arms back at the Arctic Cruise incident. So cold and weak.

He then vanished to his forest, leaving a slightly baffled cat mother to worry. She then turned to the exit of the lounge room. "I outta tell the directors!" She dashes through the doors, ready to get help on finding Hattie.

Back at the forest, Snatcher appeared in Subcon Village. One of his minions immediately went up to him, surprised. His aura gave off a worried feeling. Something felt wrong.

"Boss? Is everything okay?"

"Everyone."

"Huh?"

"Gather every minion! I want you all searching this entire planet for the hat-wearing kid! **Leave no stone unturned or any corner unchecked!** "

A bit startled by the sudden command, the minion jumped and began dashing to the houses to do so. "Yes, sir!"

Snatcher took off himself, beginning to look for the kid. He had mixed emotions going through him as he thought of finding the kid. Oh he wanted to hold her close and strangle her at the same time. " _Kid, you'd better be okay when I find you._ "

* * *

Hattie was laying in the makeshift bed Bow made out for her, her eyes still a bit red from crying. Carol comforted her through the talk, but it still left a stinging feeling in Hattie's heart. She felt emotionally exhausted, but still too upset to properly sleep.

Carol sighed, sitting at the dining room table with a coffee cup on hand. She just stared down at the mug in mild bitterness and sorrow. Bitterness to the so-called parents Hattie had and sorrow for Hattie herself.

"Mom? Isn't it too late for coffee? You don't have work tomorrow." Carol looked up, seeing Bow out of bed in her green pajamas and a blue cat plushie in her arms, rubbing her eyes.

"Bonnie? What are you doing up?" Bow climbed onto the chair beside her, setting her plush kitty on the table.

"Couldn't sleep. I tried helping Hattie feel better, but nothing's working. Not even the lullaby you do for me."

Carol sighed and said, "Perhaps it was best not to tell her…"

Bow shook her head. "What if she never knew and went back to those meanies?"

Carol quietly nodded, running her hand through Bow's curly hair. "I just didn't know how else to tell her, I suppose. But now I'm wondering if it's a good idea to let her go back to this planet she calls home."

"Of course she should, mom! From what she told me and you, she sounded really happy there. She even calls that cooking cat lady her new mama."

Carol looked down in thought. It was true. Whenever Hattie talked about Earth, she seemed to brighten up. Back at their old planet, Bow has told her that she didn't seem as happy as she is now unless she was with them. With people that care about her.

"And since our planets aren't too far apart, surely she can come visit every now and then, right?"

"Of course! The door is always open for her." Bow smiled. She knew her mom would understand.

Carol sighed with a tiny sad smile. "I guess I'm just worried for her, being off in a new world practically alone."

"But she won't be alone. She's got new friends and nice people. And she's got us." Bow hugged her mother's arm, in attempt to reassure her.

Carol smiled sadly. Her own seven year old daughter, comforting her worries. How did she, a single mother, get an amazing daughter such as her? She picked up Bow from her chair and hugged her close, having Bow hug back.

"You're right. ...How about, for tomorrow, we make a care package for her to take back to her new home?"

"Yay! I'll get the glitter!" Bow climbed down from her mother's lap to head to her room. Surely she still has a few tubes of glitter left over.

Carol smiled a little. Maybe she should pack a few cat-shaped cookies for Hattie as well. She still had a few left over from today.

As Bow entered her room to grab the glitter, she looked over to Hattie. She was finally fast asleep, blanket kicked to the side and hat laying to the side. Bow smiled a little, going to her side and tucking up the blanket a bit so it covered Hattie from her shoulders to her feet.

"Sleep well, sis. You've gotta get home tomorrow, after all." With a warm smile and a skip to her step, Bow left Hattie to sleep her troubles away.


	5. One Family

A continuation of Two Worlds and the conclusion of this short story. Hope it came out good. x)

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Hattie yawned, rubbing her eyes. Recalling all events that occurred yesterday, she frowned. As amazing it was to know Bow was alive, as well as all the others, and to see this new planet, she missed Earth.

Guess Carol was right though. She probably couldn't make it back to Earth without having an emotional breakdown after last night's talk. After knowing the truth about her parents, Hattie knew one thing: she didn't belong here. Not if even _they_ would leave her behind like they did.

Hattie looked out the window. She could faintly see her ship parked just down the street. She rubbed her sleepy and mildly misty eyes and grabbed her top hat. The sooner she left, the better.

But as soon as she got to Bow's bedroom door, it opened. Bow was now blocking her way. She looked a little surprised to see Hattie up and dressed already. But she still offered her normal bright smile.

"Hattie, great! You're up! Mom's almost done with breakfast."

Hattie frowned and fidgeted with her cape. "I can't stay for that. ...I need to go."

Bow's smile faded as she looked down. "...Yeah, I know. But...at least take some french toast for the road?"

Hattie's expression then showed concern. She hated making Bow sad. She was suppose to be the cheery one that brightened her day. Taking a breath, she offered a tiny smile and said, "Alright...I can spare a few minutes."

Bow brightened up, hearing that. With a warm smile, she grabbed Hattie's hand and the two girls rushed downstairs.

Carol glanced back, seeing the girls rush to the table, plates ready. She showed a small smile as she said, "Morning, Hattie. Slept well?"

"As well as I could, miss Carol." Hattie tried to keep up a small positive appearance. It's the least she can do.

"I guess you're heading back to Earth shortly then?" Hattie nodded, removing her hat. Mama Cookie always asked her to, since it was apparently rude. Miss Carol never really gave her a hard time on it, but that was probably because their planet practically revolved on the use of hats. Hats were signs of where one stood in the community. Without one, you were practically looked down upon.

"Well, eat well then. Wouldn't want you heading back hungry." Hattie managed a genuine smile as miss Carol placed a couple slices of french toast in front of Hattie. She still remembered how she liked it: a little bit of butter and a little bit of sugar all sprinkled on top.

Bow's had berries on top with a bit of whipped cream. With a quick "thank you" from both girls, they began eating.

As Hattie ate, she looked to Carol and asked, "So you're really okay with me going back to Earth?"

"Of course, as long as you visit. If Earth feels like home to you, then who am I to take that away from you?" Hattie warmly smiled.

"Oh, Hattie!" Bow quickly finished one of her slices of toast and rushed to the kitchen countertop, where a sort of present was sitting there. It had white wrapping paper and a glittering red bow. She held it up to Hattie.

"Mom and I made a care package for ya, so you'll know that we're thinking of you and stuff."

"Bonnie, dear, why don't you wait until Hattie finishes her breakfast first?"

"Oh, right. Sorry!" She quickly set it on the table. Hattie looked to miss Carol, a bit surprised, as she was cleaning the dishes.

"You guys didn't have to…"

"We insisted, dear. Anything to help your stay at your new home become better." Hattie smiled once more. How did she end up friends with these two amazing people?

Soon she finished her french toast and headed outside to her ship. Bow and her mother followed behind her, Bow carrying the care package. Hattie was quietly relieved that the ship didn't look like it was broken in.

She turned to the two and Bow handed her the care package. "Promise you'll come visit when you can?"

"Long as you promise the same. I want you to meet my friends sometime."

Bow looked up to her mother with pleading eyes. Carol crossed her arms with a tiny smirk. "After you crashed the ship I loaned you? We'll talk about it."

Bow pouted, then turned to Hattie. "Might take me a bit of time, but I'll try to!"

"Then I'll try to do the same." With a warm smile, Hattie set down the present and the two girls shared an embrace. Hattie then unhugged Bow and hugged Carol's legs. She smiled and knelt down so she and Hattie could share a better hug.

Carol then said, "Just remember...you always have a home here too."

Hattie nodded with a tiny sniffle. She quickly rubbed her eyes as she released her hug. She picked up the present and hopped into her ship, unlocking the hatch door. Starting it up, Hattie set her coordinates for Earth and turned on autopilot. All her fuel was still in check.

She looked down from her Captain's chair, out the window. Bow and Carol both stepped back as the ship began floating off the ground. Hattie waved to the two and they both waved back.

Hattie carefully motioned her ship up through the atmosphere. Taking one more glance to the planet, she showed a small smile as she pressed a lever forward, sending her ship into hyperdrive. Next stop, Earth.

* * *

"Any news yet, darling?"

Cookie sighed as DJ Grooves entered the lounge room. She hardly got enough sleep last night. "No…"

"I'm sure our little star is out there. We'll find her." He quietly patted Cookie's back in comfort. She offered a tiny hopeful smile as she looked up to him.

"How about the Conductor? Any word from him?"

"Last I checked, he still hasn't spotted her. At least his train is now fixed so he could cover more ground." He imagined his intense squawking to the Express Owls sped up the progress.

Cookie quietly nodded. "I'm still trying with this Time Piece as well. Surely it has to pick up her ship somehow, right?"

DJ Grooves nodded. "I'll go grab you some food, if you'd like."

"You don't have to, Mr. Grooves."

"I insist, ma'am." With that, Grooves headed over to the dining counters to grab breakfast for Cookie.

Meanwhile, Snatcher arrived back at the village with a couple Subconites tailing him.

"Any luck yet?"

"No sign of her around the forest, sir," one stated.

"Not even the manor," said another.

"Or the towers," spoke a third.

"Then keep looking!" The Subconites spreaded out once more to keep searching. Snatcher sighed.

" _C'mon, kid. Stop playing this stupid game and make yourself known already_."

He began flying back up past the atmosphere to double check for her ship in space. But just as he got about halfway there, he stopped when he saw a small spark from a little far away. Then, right back in its place, Hattie's ship flew right back into its spot.

Snatcher blinked in surprise, then appeared relieved. That soon changed to mild anger as he said, "Time to pay the kid a visit."

Hattie sighed, sitting back on her Captain's chair, looking at Earth through her ship's window. She warmly smiled. "I'm back. Hope you guys didn't miss me too much," she stated to no one in particular.

" **Welcome back, kid.** " Hattie jolted. She recognized that voice...and oh dear, did he sound mad.

She turned her chair around with a nervous smile as Snatcher loomed over her. She may not be able to sense auras like the Subconites could, but she could practically feel the rage emitting off him.

"Heyyyy, BFF...sorry to uh...keep you waiting?"

"Care to explain why you TOOK OFF WITHOUT TELLING US?!" Hattie jolted by sudden raise of volume in his voice.

"Do you have _any_ idea how worried everyone was?! We all thought your ship crashed! That you were probably sitting at the bottom of the ocean! Or under some debris!" Snatcher threw his arms up. Was it really everyone else that was just worried...or was he worried too?

Hattie's eyes started to show tears, not realizing the damage she caused by leaving without telling. "I-I'm sorry, I just...it was originally going to be for a few hours...then I'd come back but...I ended up staying the night and…"

Snatcher paused, seeing the kid tremble a little and her aura emitting mild fear and sorrow. He sighed, calming himself down. Screaming at the kid isn't going to change anything. If anything, it was going to make the situation worse.

"Right I...I'm sorry. You just had us worried, kid. You practically gave that cooking cat a heart attack when she found out your ship was MIA. Not to mention those two weird bird directors. And that red-hooded girl, I think."

"...You were worried, too?" Snatcher blinked as the kid looked up at him with teary-eyed turquoise eyes. He rubbed his wrists, glancing to the side.

"No, just...mad. I thought you left for good, even after we asked you to stay. Thinking you were just…" He couldn't say. He couldn't just tell her that he thought she left after just worming her way into their hearts and shattering them in the end.

 _Just like what happened with Vanessa._

Hattie reached her arms up for Snatcher, clearly asking for a hug. Snatcher paused for a solid moment, but sighed, complying. He picked the kid up and held her close to his chest as she hugged him. Only to stop her from crying. ...He hated it when she cried.

"I'm still sorry, Snatcher...I should've said something or left a note."

"It's fine, kid. ...Just, next time you plan to go on your own adventure, keep us in the loop, alright? Otherwise, you're gonna worry everyone that cares about ya."

Hattie nodded, drying her tears. Snatcher then set her down. "Speaking of, you might wanna go down and see everyone before you give the old geezer bird a heart attack along with that chef cat."

Hattie smiled a little and nodded. "I'll be down in a sec."

Snatcher nodded and headed to the hatch. "Dead Bird Studios. You'll find them there." He then flew out and back down to his forest. Based on his aura, the minions should at least be updated that Hattie was found safe and sound.

Hattie headed up to the vault to grab a Time Piece. As far as she can imagine, the Conductor's probably going to rant in his usual loud tone how worried she made everyone. DJ Grooves will probably hug his "shining star" tightly, glad she's back. And she was probably going to get a hug and a lecture from her Mama Cookie. Hopefully Mu won't be too mad that her friend took off without telling as well.

As she headed for the hatch, she stopped, looking to the care package sitting on top of the control panel. Perhaps she could quickly see what's inside before she jumps down to Earth.

She unwrapped the present and took the top off the box. She blinked in mild surprise, seeing what was inside. Then a warm smile graced her face.

After setting everything in their rightful place, she hopped down to Earth to see everyone. Within her ship, new items were added.

Cat-shaped cookies in the kitchen cupboard, plenty to share with her new family.

A new set of pajamas, purple with a corgi on it. Those were set in Hattie's closet.

And finally, a picture of Hattie, Bow and her mother back on their old planet. That was now sitting in a frame on her work desk in her room. It was also right next to the picture frame of her and her new friends on Earth.

A reminder that Hattie may be living in two different worlds…

But will always have one family.


	6. Snatcher's Day

And now we take a quick break from all the Deathwishes and agony to bring you Father's Day! Events transpiring before Death Wish, of course, but after Bow's mini arc in previous chapters. And happy Father's Day to all amazing fathers out there!

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No. There's no way he could even approve of such a thing. He'll probably laugh the second she mentions the idea of it.

Hattie sighed, looking at the calendar. Father's Day is tomorrow and she was struggling to think of who she would celebrate that with. Surprisingly, the first person that came to mind was Snatcher. But just as she immediately thought after, there was no way that could happen. ...Even though it wouldn't be the _worst_ idea.

After all, he has been a pretty decent guy to her. Worrying for her safety, letting her play with his minions and roam the forest most of the time.

Then again, he is always annoyed by her and tells her to go away despite her persistence. He's done some mocking here and there too. She mostly took them in stride because most things he mocks aren't personal. _This_ situation is though.

Then again, there aren't any other candidates for it. Conductor would make a cool grandpa bird, especially since he's already a grandfather. DJ Grooves would make a cool disco uncle. And the Mafia Boss...er...well, he can be like an older angry cousin? Sometimes he can be mellow though, especially when Hattie lets him ride Rumbi around the ship.

But Hattie could already imagine his reaction if she ever brought something up like that.

" _AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! You think I would_ ever _want to be your 'father,' kid? I'm personally surprised that chef cat wanted to be your 'mama.'"_

Tears stung in Hattie's eyes and she quickly wiped them away. Maybe she was overthinking this. Then again, being neglected by her own flesh and blood of a parent doesn't exactly help doubt the possibility.

She let out a groan of frustration, putting a pillow to her face. She hated to miss this holiday because of something dumb like this, but how would she be capable of celebrating if said possible dad wasn't up for the task?

Hattie then blinked, looking up. Wait. Up for the _task_...that's it!

She quickly grabbed a sheet of paper and crayons. She had a plan for tomorrow. She could only hope it will work.

* * *

Snatcher sighed with content as he floated back into his tree. A great start to a new day. Spooking an Express Owl's soul right out of his corpse. He was mildly disappointed that it was more of a gray soul than a blue one, but it had its blue tints. Blue souls were pretty hard to come by, so he can take what he can get. And hey, soul stealing ghosts have gotta eat too, right?

He laid back on his recliner, picking up his book. Wouldn't hurt to cover another chapter before checking the traps again. Mainly just to make sure they're functional.

"Hey uh, Boss?"

Snatcher frowned a little, having been interrupted from, what was about to be, peace and quiet. He looked up from his book and said, "Yes?"

One of his minions was standing right outside his tree hole, holding an envelope. "You got a letter."

Snatcher blinked. _He_ received a letter? Normally he just steal some random stranger's letters for his minions. Regardless, Snatcher waved his hand dismissively and said, "There's a mailbox beside you for a reason. Just drop it in and I'll take a look at it later."

"Would, sir, but uh...there were specific instructions to give it to you personally."

Snatcher suppressed a groan, but it did come out as a small growl of annoyance. He closed his book, marking the page he turned to, and got up. Hovering to his minion, he took the letter. "Alright, now get back to work. Make sure all the others are accounted for back at the village."

"Yes, sir!" The minion took off, running along the swerving tree branch bridge and back down the stone path to Subcon Village. Once he was out of sight, Snatcher looked at the letter.

Soon as he looked at the front side, he sighed. Of course, why was he surprised in the first place about getting a letter? Who else would do it but the hat-wearing kid?

The front side was written in crayon, stating, "To: My BFF" with a little heart drawn next to it. He was half-tempted to toss it away and make up an excuse if the kid questioned it. But he was in a good mood now. Maybe he can humor the kid a little.

Using his talons, he tore the top part of the envelope open, finding two slips of paper inside. One was an actual letter while the other was...a contract? He pulled out the contract first. It was written on blank white paper with crayon, but the format almost looked a tad bit similar to his. There was just the title, conditions, and dotted line for the signature. The title read: "Spend a Day With Me!" The conditions were, "Have Fun" and "Be Nice".

Snatcher started to chuckle. Was this kid serious? Like this childish excuse of a "contract" was going to convince him to spend a whole day with that hat brat. He was rather curious as to what brought this about, however. He pulled out the letter and read it over. That was written in crayon too, of course.

"Hi, BFF! Figured today would be a cool day for us to hang out and stuff. And what better way to do that than with a contract, just like you did for me? If you're up it, you can come find me on my spaceship so we can sign it together. Hope to hear from you soon! - Hat Kid."

Huh, and she even wrote her name in english this time. He did always wonder what that alien language was that she used to sign the past contracts. Nonetheless, he was frowning, now stuck in thought about this.

Why would he ever want to do this? Having the kid invade his home often is already bad enough. Spending an entire _day_ with her seems like pure torture. Besides, he's got his forest to take care of. He shouldn't take the time off for a stupid playdate.

But...how can he tell her all this? He knew that if he got straight to the point, she'll get upset. _Really_ upset. He appreciated moments where she would get startled and intimidated by him. However, moments where she would cry and get purely sad were where it felt sickening and bothersome.

The more he was thinking this over, the angrier he felt. How dare this kid make him feel like this! He was supposed to have a nice relaxing day with a good book and a semi-full stomach after having an early morning soul to snack on. Not get troubled by some brat's invitation.

He eventually huffed and shouted, "Fine then!" He then began flying up to Hattie's ship. He's only going there to tell her himself that he wasn't going to agree to this. Nothing more.

Hattie paced around the Living Room with her Rumbi watching with worry. She's been doing this for the past 10 minutes now. Is she really this anxious about Snatcher's response?

Rumbi then beeped with alarm as they saw a tall shadow loom from behind her. Hattie looked up to Rumbi and asked, "Rumbi? Something wrong?"

" **Whyyyyyyyyy hello there!** " Hattie jumped and quickly turning around, seeing Snatcher now behind her. Snatcher cackled a little at her reaction, having her roll her eyes with a smirk. Classic Snatcher, spooking her from behind. At least that put some of her worries at ease.

"You really came! Does that mean–"

Snatcher then held up a hand in front of her face, stopping her. "Hold on, kiddo. I just came by to give this back to you." He then held out...her contract?

"But...I made this for you. It's your contractual obligations to spend the day with me."

"Kid, this seems more like an invitation than a contract. And I'm here to deny said invitation. Go bother somebody else about it."

Before Hattie could argue, Snatcher already phased through her ship's floor and vanished back to his forest. For a moment, Hattie just stood there, clutching her handmade contract in her hands. Rumbi, worried for their master's feelings, scooted up to her, nudging against her ankle gently.

Hattie took a breath and folded the contract up, putting it in her hat. She then looked down at Rumbi and patted their head. "I'm not giving up just yet, buddy." She had a small feeling it wasn't going to be that easy to spend Father's Day with Snatcher. Luckily, she had a Plan B.

Snatcher sighed, floating back into his tree. Least he was straight to the point with the kid. She'll probably get over it in an hour and go bother someone else on this planet. Maybe she'll bother the bird directors or hang out with that red-hooded brat.

He then sensed a presence enter his forest. Wait...this presence…

"Snatcheeeeeeeeer!"

Oh no. He let out a groan, covering his eyes with one hand. He heard little footsteps enter his tree and sensed someone grabbing onto the arm of his recliner.

"Hey, BFF." He looked up. Yep. It's the kid with her stupid annoying smile. Why was she annoyingly persistent?

"I thought I told you to leave me alone, kid."

"Well, if you weren't going to agree to come hang out with me, I will have to be the one to hang out with you instead!"

Snatcher picked the kid up by her cape and dropped her on the floor. She landed on her feet this time. Must be getting used to that, since he does it a lot. "Like I'm going to agree to _that_ , kiddo."

"But you're my BFF. Our contract says you gotta let me hang out with you."

"Correction: your 'contract' says I'm your 'BFF' And I have to 'be nice.' It doesn't state that I have to attend any social gatherings and allow you to come harass me."

"But I opened up the whole day just for us!"

"Well, boo-hoo for you. I'm not planning on doing anything with you. Now get lost!" He grabbed his book from earlier and opened it up, putting it up to his face.

Hattie frowned, her eyes getting misty. But she will persevere with this. She stomped right in front of Snatcher and sat down, legs in a criss-cross position and arms crossed in front of her chest. She was also sitting 3 feet in front of Snatcher, keeping her eyes trained on him. Nothing he was going to do was going to keep her away from him.

Snatcher glanced up from his book and sighed in annoyance. Stubborn little brat. ...Kind of reminds him of himself.

" _Very well. We'll see who breaks first,_ " Snatcher thought as he lowered the book and began reading it over.

Hattie kept her firm position as she watched him. It was pretty boring for the next 10 minutes, just watching him read. Though, he hasn't flipped a page for the past few minutes now. Maybe he got captivated on some part of his boring book.

Snatcher, on the other hand, was getting more annoyed by the minute. He kept re-reading the same stupid paragraph, knowing the kid was still watching him. Why won't she just get bored and go away already?

After 5 more minutes, Snatcher growled and slammed the book down. Hattie jolted from the action, but showed a small confident smile. "Are you finished?"

" **Yeah. Finished with** _ **you**_ **!** " He plucked her off her feet by her cape once more and hovered out of his tree. He then dropped her onto the ground. To his mild satisfaction, she didn't land on her feet.

"How many times must I say this before you get it through your head? I don't want to waste the day with you! I just want to be here, relaxing and reading, _**alone**_. Now go away, kid! You. Bother. Me." Without even bothering to see how she would react, he began hovering back into his tree.

Hattie stood there for a small moment, taking in what he said.

" _Dad, I got something for you. For Fath–_ "

" _Go away, Harry. You're bothering me._ "

Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. She's been trying so hard to be with Snatcher on this special holiday and he wasn't even giving her a chance. Why didn't she expect this before planning all this?

A bit of anger then boiled up in her as she shouted, "Well, fine then! I just wanted us to be together for the holiday, but apparently you're being nothing but a big jerk! YOU'RE THE WORST BFF EVER!"

With those bitter words, she took off running, sobbing. Snatcher actually froze, hovering right at the entrance of his tree. Holiday? What was she talking about? ...And why did it hurt when she said that last statement?

Snatcher hovered back inside and looked to the calendar hanging on the wall. Today was Sunday, right? Sometime in June. He looked through and his eyes widened. Was he...reading this correctly? Today is…

He looked back out of his tree. Was the kid serious? She wanted to spend _that_ holiday with _him_? He thought it was just some other ordinary day where she was just trying to annoy him.

Snatcher just hovered there, reluctant on what to do now. Reluctant on what to feel. What to think.

"The...kid will get over it. She's tough…" He tried using that to reason with himself as he hovered back to his recliner, picking up his book. But as he opened it and stared at the pages, he couldn't concentrate on what he was reading now. All that was going through his mind were jumbled thoughts.

All he could really feel is...mild pain. The kid really did seem upset...

Hattie ran all the way to the south side of the forest, where there were old ruins and where the old Purple Time Rift was. She crouched down against a small broken stone wall and sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.

"Stupid Snatcher...why did I think that he would want to hang out with me today, of all days?" Once she began calming herself down, she sighed and then stated, "Maybe I should just go see the Conductor instead…"

Despite thinking of a different solution to this Father's Day problem, she still felt disappointment clutching her heart. Why would she think Snatcher was different? Just because he didn't neglect her…

" _C'mon Snatcher. I wanna play hide n' seeeeeek._ "

" _If I get the minions to play with you, will you leave me be?_ "

" _As long as you find me in case the minions don't." She stated this with a smirk on her face._

 _Snatcher sighed and said, "Fine. Just keep away from_ her _manor." Hattie nodded and ran to the village to get the game started._

Because he never abandoned her when she needed him…

" _KID!" Two long purple arms quickly pulled her out of the ice cold water, having her cough for air as she shivered violently._

" _Sn-Sn-Sna-atch-cher…?" Her voice was hoarse and shaky. She was lucky to get a single word out. Snatcher quickly pulled her close to his chest. He felt warm and fluffy. Whimpering, she leaned more against him, holding onto a tuft of his hair, quietly pleading he wouldn't let her go._

Because...he actually showed he cared…

" _You were worried, too…?" After leaving to visit Bow, she didn't expect Snatcher, of all people, to be coming to her, worrying about her disappearance. She saw him reluctantly look to the side, rubbing his wrists, as he tried to come up with an answer._

" _No, just...mad. I thought you left for good, even after we asked you to stay."_

Hattie sighed, burying her head into her folded arms, which rested on her tucked up legs.

"Well...if being alone is what he wants...then that's my Father's Day gift for him." She quietly stood up, sniffling and rubbing her eyes. Though, perhaps she can at least leave the primary Father's Day gift for him for his minions to give to him tomorrow. She dug through her top hat, pulling it out.

It was wrapped in a mildly messy manner, but its shape looked like a large folded fabric material of some kind. The wrapping paper was dark purple and tied with a golden yellow bow. She worked for hours through the night just to make this for him.

She sighed and turned back north to head to the village. But before she began walking, she noticed something strange. A piece of red string? Hattie looked along it, wondering what it was connected to.

She approached this string and it recoiled the closer she got. Her eyes widened in surprise as it continued leading her to the west. She glanced back to the north and frowned. She didn't need to go towards the village right now. Perhaps she could see where this string will lead, then make her way over.

She began following the string, hoping it will lead her to someplace better.

* * *

"Boss! Boss!" A minion scrambled into Snatcher's tree. Snatcher flinched and sighed, lowering the book. He hasn't even turned a single page since the argument.

"Let me guess, something about the kid?"

"Yes! She's heading towards the manor!"

Snatcher's eyes widen as he dropped the book. What is that kid thinking?! Why would she go back, knowing it was dangerous? He's warned her more than once to stay away from there!

"I'll...take care of it." He took off flying. No way was that hag killing the kid! If anyone is going to do it, it's him!

As Hattie continued following the string, bits of ice were beginning to show. Strange. She didn't even cross the broken bridge. Usually ice in Subcon was a bad sign though. Maybe she should turn back.

Just as she was contemplating this, the string vanished from her sight. Seems she lost it. She huffed, a bit disappointed she won't figure out where it came from. But, she's filled out her adventure quota for the time being today. She should just head home and have some hot cocoa. Maybe play some Corgi Quest 7 to forget about today. ...And celebrating the holiday ever again, given that she'll never find the right father to celebrate it with her.

She turned back to head to the village, but stopped. Looking around, nothing really seemed familiar. She didn't see the ruins, Snatcher's towering tree, or even any ice-coated houses to tell her where she is. Just trees, some grass, and some ice.

Her eyes widen at one major fact: she was lost.

But she quietly reminded herself not to panic. Glancing to the ice patches, perhaps if she followed them, it will lead her to the broken bridge. Then, she can just jump over and follow the path to the village, being closer than earlier.

Then again, it could lead to Vanessa's Manor. Hattie never wanted to revisit such a place.

"If I do go there, I'll just turn back." With a firm nod, she began walking along the snowy ground, following the patches of ice.

She then froze, hearing snow crunch close by. She darted her eyes around. Maybe it's just her mind playing tricks just like Halloween. Or one of the Dwellers. Yeah, a couple are around near the path to the Manor.

Her focus then stopped on something not too far away from her to her right. A lone headless ice statue. What was that doing in the middle of nowhere? ...And why did it seem so familiar?

She turned her back and walked a few more steps forward. She heard crunching again, getting rapidly and progressively louder. She quickly turned to her right and sharply gasped.

The ice statue...it was running towards her!

Hattie wasted no time running as well. Stuffing the gift for Snatcher in her hat, she fumbled for her Sprint Hat. As she was doing so, however, she tripped on a root poking out of the ground. Face-planting into the snow, she quickly sat back up and watched in terror as the statue got closer.

Something dark purple then flew right at the statue, knocking it away from its path towards Hattie. Hattie's eyes widened, seeing that thing that attacked the statue was Snatcher. Holding the statue's arm, suspended in the air, Snatcher grabbed the leg of the statue and snapped both the arm and leg off.

He then warmed up his dark magic, dropping the statue onto the ground on its side. A tower of dark magic shot out of the ground from underneath the statue, shattering it. Hattie was shocked. She thought they were unbreakable.

Soon as the statue was in pieces, Snatcher sharply turned his vision towards Hattie, looking just as angry. Hattie realized that she was in big trouble this time.

"I-I was gonna leave–" He didn't waste a second as he hovered over to her and picked her up by her cape.

" **Kid, do you have ANY idea how much danger you just put yourself into? Do you know how close you were to** _ **her**_ **mansion?! How close you were to dying?!** "

Tears started to show in Hattie's eyes as she crossed her arms, remembering their fight. "W-well...why do you care anyway? You just wanted me to get lost…"

"I wanted you to leave me alone, **but I didn't want you to get killed!** "

The tears were now rolling down her cheeks. Snatcher stopped, then sighed. No, he wasn't making this better. He was just getting mad again and making the kid cry.

Hattie didn't know what else to say. She practically had nothing left. Hugging herself, she looked away and said, "Well I'm fine now. Just leave me alone…"

Snatcher frowned. Now that was a bold lie if he ever heard one. With another sigh, he then lowered the kid into his arms, holding her close. Hattie blinked, confused. She looked up at Snatcher, then turned away, crossing her arms.

Snatcher didn't say a word as he began flying back towards his tree, still holding Hattie in his arms. He expected her to argue or annoy her the whole way back, but she was giving him a hell of a silent treatment. ...Was the way he dismissed her really that harsh?

As the two traveled back, Hattie would glance up to Snatcher once or twice to see how he was taking her silent treatment. To her mild surprise...not greatly. She expected him to show that he didn't care, but he had a mildly hurt expression. That now only just made Hattie feel worse about being mad at him.

They remained silent until they reached his tree. Hattie expected to be dropped to her feet and dismissed. Instead, Snatcher hovered into the tree and sat down on his recliner, setting Hattie on his lap, facing him.

"I...didn't mean to go close to the manor...I just…"

"It's fine, kid. You're not hurt though, are you?" He then poked her sides, having her manage a small giggle. Snatcher seemed to manage a small smirk as he did this.

"No, I'm fine, really." Her smile faded though, much to Snatcher's displeasure. She continued, "I should...really go back to my ship though. Leave you be and all."

Snatcher frowned and said, "Did you really come to bother me because it was Father's Day?"

Hattie blinked. Did he not know that was today? She looked up at him as he was showing a sort of neutral parental expression.

"I mean...yeah...kinda."

"...You mean you were thinking I was–"

"N-no!" Snatcher was a bit startled by the sudden outburst. She continued, keeping her hands up, "I-I only came because...I uh...didn't know who else to see on this holiday. Figured you didn't want to be alone or...something."

That wasn't a complete lie at least. She truly didn't know who else she could go to in order to celebrate, but the reason was different. Snatcher seemed to buy it though as he hummed in thought.

Snatcher felt internally relieved. Good, the kid wasn't assuming that he was going to play the dad role for her. But not for the reason most would think.

Despite him dismissing her every so often, the kid was kind of growing on him. He would _never_ admit it, at least not now especially, but that was something he couldn't deny from his soul. After that kid showed her strength against him and began visiting often, he began to expect her. Sure she was annoying at times, but that was what kids are like, he supposed. He enjoyed seeing her happy, spooking her every now and then, and even seeing her get along with the minions. They certainly seem happier than they were before.

However, calling himself a dad to the kid was asking for too much. He has thought it over, even before what happened to him with Vanessa, but he doesn't know squat about the kid's past. What if she already has one? What if he's not cut out for the role? He certainly proved that today by making her run away and cry. On _Father's Day_ of all days.

With all that said, he felt a hint of disappointment at the kid's answer. He let out a sigh and looked to her.

"Well...I suppose I should apologize for yelling at you like I did earlier."

Hattie crossed her arms. "And?"

Snatcher was about to question if she was serious, but judging by her expression, she was. He sighed. "And for being a jerk by practically kicking you out of my home like I did."

"And?" She now had a smirk showing. She was now looking like her annoying self again.

"Kid, come on!"

She giggled. "I'm kidding. I forgive you." Her smile then faded as she said, "I'm sorry for what I said though...you're not the worst BFF…"

Snatcher managed a tiny amused smile from her apology. It did lift some of the pain he felt from earlier. Tousling her hair, he said, "Don't sweat it, kid."

She pouted a little, annoyed by the hair tousling. He let out an amused chuckle from her reaction. Yeah, this was much better than earlier.

After a small moment of silence, Hattie spoke up and said, "Well I should...probably go back to my ship and...leave you be."

"Yeah...sure." But as Hattie was about to climb down, she frowned and turned back to Snatcher, hugging him. He jolted from the gesture, but hugged back.

"I really am sorry…"

Snatcher smirked. "Like I said, don't sweat it, kid. I'm just glad _she_ didn't get you."

"Oh, before I go." She released her hug and dug through her top hat. She then held out the present she had earlier to Snatcher. He blinked, mildly surprised.

"I was gonna have one of the Subconites give it to you, but I guess now's a good time." She then jumped down from the chair and headed out of the tree. Looking back with a tiny smirk, she decided to try a new way of saying goodbye. With her luck, he could take it as a joke. Or if he took it seriously, maybe it would be a positive reaction.

"Bye, dad!"

Snatcher, startled by what the kid said, jolted and froze, processing this. Wait, was she being serious or was she teasing him? She laughed a little at his reaction as she used her Time Piece to fly back to her ship. Snatcher flew out of his tree.

"Wait! Kid! What did you...mean...by…" But she was already gone by the time he flew over to where she was last standing. Snatcher held his head. There was no way the kid was serious. Unless her reason behind coming to see him today was a lie…

Snatcher shook his head. No. He's the soul-stealing king of Subcon Forest! Why would he care about what the kid said? Why would it matter if she truly saw him as…?

He sighed, floating back into his tree. He needed a break. As he hovered back to his recliner, he stopped, seeing the present Hattie left for him on the floor. He picked it up, looking it over. Messy wrapping job, but not bad for a kid her age.

He glanced around, making sure no one else was watching, and used his talons to gently tear open the gift. What he found inside made him blink in surprise, then laugh with amusement. All that trouble they went through just for a blanket?

He unfolded it and looked it over. It seems handmade and big enough just for him. The fabric felt comfy and it was dark purple, just like him. He then saw on the bottom left corner his name stitched in gold thread. He smirked. "Not bad, kid."

He sat back down in his recliner, blanket draped over his shoulders. Picking back up his book, he laid back, content. Finally, some well deserved peace and quiet.

"...Wonder when the kiddo's next birthday is."


End file.
